Original Sin
by Gypsy3
Summary: ** COMPLETED ** The Team is called in to assist with a jewel heist in Detroit. But is there more at stake than the jewels? Rating is for language, mild violence.
1. The First Sin

Title: Original Sin  
Author: Gypsy  
Comments: Sure. Flames and Kisses are welcome all the same.  
Spoilers: None.  
Archive: Please ask first.  
Summary:   
Disclaimers: The characters (Donovan, Jake, Alex, Cody and Monica) involved the property of NBC Entertainment, a division of the National Broadcasting Company. No copyright infringement is intended. Original characters, however, are the property of the author.   
  
****  
  
Northern California, March 1995  
  
The cold spring tide waves crashed on the rocks below the cliff's edge. High above them, a gathering of family and friends sat and watched with the handsome couple in front of them with misty eyes. More than once tears of happiness spilled down ladies' cheeks to be dabbed at with lace handkerchiefs. It was a small gathering, intimate, family and close friends only. No one seemed to mind the brisk Pacific winds coming off of the water to blow hair, sea spray and flowers around. All eyes were for the Bride and Groom standing beneath the arbor in front of them.  
  
She was a lithe woman, almost as tall as he was. Her dress was a simple silk gown that fitted tightly as a corset would in the bodice, then hung in a straight skirt to the ground. Her white silk gloves stretched from fingertip to mid-upper arm and kept her bare arms warm. Keeping her shoulders and upper back warm was a white velvet wrap that draped languidly over her shoulders. Her glossy black hair was swept up, the ringlets piled on top of her head and crowned with a pearl and diamond tiara. She wore no veil to cover her face from her lover and future partner. Every second of the ceremony, from the moment she'd stepped onto the aisle, her gray eyes were only for him.  
  
He was a tall man, his body of hard muscle carried with a casual grace and elegance that seemed to escape most of the male population. His dark brown hair was a little longer than most business men's styles, but it was closer cropped than when they'd met. His chocolate brown eyes sparkled in the gray light outside as they watched her. His black tuxedo was classic, elegant in its lines. A single breasted coat with a single red rose boutonniere on the lapel to match her simple bouquet of 12 red roses. His eyes held to hers, as they had been the moment she stepped onto the aisle. He couldn't believe that he was actually going to marry this woman. Such a short time ago he didn't even know her... now he was joining his life to hers forever more.  
  
Both of them vaguely heard the words the minister was speaking to them, repeating the vows as if on automatic. They weren't thinking about the ceremony as much as they were focused on each other. Even the family and friends gathered were at the back of their minds. All they could see was the other and the love that was held in each other's eyes.  
  
--  
  
Washington D.C., June 1997  
  
It'd been a horrible week for him. He'd had to go out of town for a few weeks with work and couldn't tell his wife where he was going or for how long. As he turned the ignition off and exited the car, he thought back on the fight that they'd had when he told her that he was going away on business for a few weeks. The two dozen roses he pulled out were just a pacifier so that he could explain things. In the two years that they'd been married, he'd kept his work life far removed from her and her from it. He did so not because he felt she couldn't handle it, but because of who and what she was. However, above and beyond all that, she was his wife, and that was that. What he was and what she was clashed at times, but more than anything he had wanted to protect her as best as he could. There were times when she accused him of being over protective of her.  
  
'I'm not a goddamned porcelain doll to be treated with velvet gloves!!' she'd scream at him.  
  
'I know you aren't but can I help it if I rather like seeing you in one piece and NOT being arrested?!' he'd shout back.  
  
'I am not your fucking job! For once just trust me and believe that it's over!'   
  
His mother and father had both told him that when the honeymoon was over, the real marriage would begin and then would come the 'getting to REALLY know you' phase of their lives. He didn't realize that it would be two years full of fights and tears. He was so tired of fighting with her, so tired of seeing her cry, of shedding his own tears over their fights. More than once he'd thought long and hard on whether the marriage was the right thing. Every time he ended that train of thought with a 'yes'.  
  
It was after midnight, she'd be well asleep when he crept into the bedroom. So, he silently closed the front door and locked it, then toed off his shoes and tiptoed down the hallway with the roses in hand. His plan was to wake her up with a single rose bud and then present her with the rest of them. Hopefully she'd be so thrilled with the roses that she would listen to him as he explained everything. He didn't realize that it was entirely too quiet in the house.  
  
Carefully he opened the bedroom door on the darkened room. There was very little light coming in from the window, so he couldn't see her sleeping. But as he carefully felt his way around, he became aware that there was total and dead silence in the room. Only the sound of his breathing echoed in there. Dreading the worst, he dropped the roses and reached for his gun at the same time he reached for the light switch. What greeted him were a freshly made bed, a half-empty closet and a red rose on his pillow.  
  
She was gone.  
  
**** 


	2. The Second Sin

****  
  
Original Sin  
- Part Two  
  
Disclaimer: See Part 1  
Rating: PG  
  
--  
  
Detroit MI, January 2002  
  
Just after midnight a lone figure looked across the various displays held within the room and down below her to the roped off stand covered with the Plexiglas. Quickly a small power drill came out and a bit was fitted into the front nozzle. In a matter of seconds four holes were drilled, four bolts with conductors were snapped into the holes and wires clipped into place. Pair of eyes flicked over the readout on the power source, watching the little green and red lights flicker, then burn steady in green. Out came a glasscutter and within another few minutes, a hole large enough for the thief to fit through was cut and removed.  
  
Quickly and securely a harness was strapped into place around the feminine figure and clamped to the building's support beams. She took a deep breath and slid slowly headfirst in through the hole. Her ankles wrapped around the steady and strong black rappelling rope as she slid down inch by inch. Her eyes were fixed onto the Plexiglas container directly below. The long black braid hung below her as she crept down. The only thing to halt her progress was the flickering of a flashlight. Her ankles and fists grasped the rope tightly and she froze, her eyes watching as the guard peeked into the room. The flashlight's beam caused a rainbow of glitter and sparkle when it came to rest on the case in question.  
  
Inside the first case were two jewels, one of the woman's targets, but not her only one. Below her as she swayed a mere 20 feet over the case and the guard's head, were two cases holding a total of four enormous natural gems, all of them cut and polished by master jewelers from the 17th century and then hidden for centuries by some King. The third case held an exquisite crown crusted with diamonds, emeralds, pearls, rubies, sapphires and other gems. If this guard could ever get his fat ass out of the way, she could get those damned jewels, get out of here and get her life back. Shaking her head, she watched, moderating her breath so as not to panic. This was old hat really, like riding a horse you could say. After all, she'd been a master jewel thief for years...   
  
At that thought, her foot grip loosened and she dropped a few feet down before she got a grip again and halted her descent. The guard looked around for a moment at the slight rasping hiss of her thin-soled boots skidding against the rope. But as she swung there above him now less than 15 feet from the cases, she held her breath now and waited for him to go off and inspect another room. 'Come on, come on, come on' she thought. 'Get the lead out, rent-a-cop, and let me get on with business...'  
  
As if heeding her rushing, the guard decided that nothing funky was going on and wandered off on his rounds into another room of exhibits. Breathing a sigh of relief, Kennedi eased the rest of the way down. Flipping over, she released the harness clamp and landed with a cat like grace and silence in front of the first case containing the emerald and the ruby. Out came the cutter again and a hole large enough to fit her fist through was soon removed.  
  
She had the two gems stashed in her pack and moved on to the second one. Again she cut the Plexiglas and removed the cutting. She had just stashed the other two when the guard came back. Immediately she froze, then the flight instinct kicked in and she abandoned the crown, heading for the dangling rope. However, her flight up the rope was interrupted by the click of a hammer being drawn back on a gun. "Shhhhhhhhhhhhit' she thought and dropped back to the ground silently, landing like a cat did on all fours. Slowly she raised up, both gloved hands at shoulder level to show she was unarmed.  
  
"Move away from the case slowly." the guard ordered.  
  
Slowly she did as instructed and edged backwards. Luckily he was behind her and hadn't seen her face yet. When she guessed that she was a few feet from him, she slowly turned around to face him.  
  
"Nice try cutie. But you weren't good enough. I think it's time that the Detroit Metro Police get their hands on you."  
  
Not good enough? Her eyes narrowed a bit and when the guard lowered the gun, she drew back her fist. She let loose a right hook into the guard's jaw, as his eyes grew wide as saucers. He managed to fire a single shot, missing her but shattering the case behind her that bore another jeweled exhibit.  
  
"Goddamnit..." she muttered and decked him again to make sure he was out. There was no need to kill him, he wasn't that important. But, there was always more than one and with that shot fired... There wasn't the chance to finish the thought as more flashlights and running footsteps heralded the arrival of more guards. This was going to be interesting. She took off running, her footsteps light and fast in the thin-soled boots. Her clothing of black leggings and a skintight black turtleneck helped her blend easily into the shadows. The only thing slowing her down was the pack strapped over her shoulders.  
  
Always complications, why did there always have to be complications? It took more than fifteen minutes of chasing and eluding before she ditched the guards and felt safe enough to relax. 'Well,' she sighed. 'Looks like you're in for a long wait until the doors open in the morning.'  
  
**** 


	3. Intropsection

****  
  
Original Sin  
- Part Three  
  
Disclaimer: See Part 1  
Rating: PG  
  
--  
  
Chicago IL, January 2002  
  
Frank Donovan sat in his Chicago townhouse, staring into a tumbler of whiskey. The room was darkened, the only light coming from the fire in the fireplace. He had no heart to watch the flames, for this night, like so many in the past few years; he was filled with a mix of emotions. Anger, resentment, betrayal, fear... all for a woman. Seven years had come and gone since he'd given his word before a minister to love and cherish Kennedi Johnson for the rest of their lives. And she turns it around, slaps him in the face with it by leaving for no reason, no explanation. The only 'note' in sight was the fully bloomed red rose on his pillow when he came home.  
  
He trusted her enough, despite what she was that he married her. Of course, he wasn't oblivious to what she was when he met her. He'd taken the undercover assignment to bringing a theft ring to justice in the beginning. What happened in the process was another story. He hadn't counted on one of the thief's girlfriends. Against his better judgement, he fell in love with the woman whose lover he went in to arrest. Defying his orders, he convinced Kennedi to give up the life that she'd been leading and go into private life with him. Who better to keep an eye on her than a federal agent?  
  
When the phone rang, Frank debated ignoring it. He was, after all, well on the road to fulfilling his plan of becoming ripping drunk. However, this was a plan that he had been working on for years now. Just when he felt himself set and ready to crawl into a bottle, work came calling and he was jerked back into the reality that there were more important things than his self-pity. As he reached for the glass with the glittering amber liquid in it, the answering machine clicked on.  
  
"Frank. Answer the phone."  
  
"Go away Monica. I'm not talking to anyone tonight."  
  
"I know you're there Frank. Pick it up, I need to talk to you."  
  
"Yes, well I don't need to talk to anyone. I have a date with a bottle."  
  
"Jesus Frank," Monica sighed on the machine. "Guess I get to leave you a long winded message. I got a call from our Detroit office. We're needed A.S.A.F.P. up there. There was a break-in less than an hour ago and -"  
  
"Give me the details Monica." As she'd talked, he'd pushed up out of the couch and picked up the phone. "What's going on."  
  
"Nice to talk to you too Frank. Jewel heist. The Smithsonian is hosting an exhibit from the 17th century - the centerpiece of the exhibit is a set of four perfectly matched jewels of great size. A ruby, a diamond, an emerald, and a sapphire. To compliment these is a jewel-crusted crown. The exhibit is on its tour around the country and currently it's in Detroit. Just after midnight the museum was broken into and all four stones were lifted. The thief had set to cutting the display case for the crown when interrupted. Frank..."  
  
"Yes Monica?"  
  
"It's a woman. The guard got a good look at her, but his jaw's broken and he can't talk for a while longer. Other guards pursued her through the museum, but lost her eventually. They aren't sure if she's escaped or hiding in the building somewhere. The top levels have requested us. Alex and Jake are already on their way to the airport, Cody and I will swing by in about 20 minutes and pick you up." The line clicked dead as she hung up.  
  
Frank sighed. Once again his plan was thwarted and real life slapped him in the face. A jewel thief... Damn if this didn't just put the perfect cap on his evening.  
  
**** 


	4. The Runner At Dawn

****  
  
Original Sin  
- Part Four  
  
Disclaimer: See Part 1  
Rating: PG  
  
--  
  
Detroit MI, January 2002  
The Morning After The Break-In  
  
Donovan looked at the file in front of him through bleary, bloodshot eyes. The photographs told the entire story. This assignment was going to be difficult at best. He looked again at the photos. The thief broke into the room without even tripping the alarms and heisted the jewels without so much as leaving a fingerprint or footprint and left the one guard unconscious, but alive. Very few that he knew of had that sort of bravado and ability.  
  
He rolled his eyes and dropped the glossy photo of the items missing. Now came the fun part of determining who would want them, why, where they were at, and how he and his team were going to get it back before the curators and the top levels went off the deep end.  
  
He and his entire team had been called at 'Gawd-awful' in the morning as Alex put it and pushed onto a flight to Detroit. They were met at the airport and escorted, without stopping, to the Museum. He had yet to figure out why it was him and his team. Maybe it was because they brought back the Hope Diamond from that heist a long while back. He didn't really care right now. All he wanted was sleep, food and coffee... not necessarily in that order. Needless to say, when the Curator of the Museum sat down in front of him looking very nervous and angry in the same breath, Donovan didn't have the patience to deal with him.  
  
"Mr. Donovan, you don't understand. We HAVE to get this back before word gets out!"  
  
Donovan cut him off quickly. "I'm well aware that time is of the essence here. But we have nothing yet to go on. My team and I will be on this as fast as we can, once we get some sleep. If we start now, chances are that mistakes will be made, possible evidence missed and that could lead to never recovering the jewels. I know of only a few people with the skills to pull off a theft like this and my team is already making inquiries. Please, stay out of our way and let us do our job!" With that, Donovan picked up the file and exited the office, intent on heading back to the hotel to get some sleep.  
  
By now, the sun had risen on Detroit and another day was starting for the people here. He stood on the steps and watched the workers of the Museum entering into the buildings. This was entirely too sophisticated for the ordinary docent or even an experienced cat burglar. He stood there for a few more minutes, thoughts of random nature flicking through his mind. He pulled out his cell phone and called Cody to see how the search for those specific few burglars was faring.  
  
As he was talking, something caught his attention, why he wasn't sure. He watched as a woman moved through the sparse people. She was actually leaving the building. Frowning, he followed her. She was dressed in a pair of black spandex running pants, a black parka over a black turtleneck and a ballcap over the long rope of black hair that was pulled into a low ponytail at the base of her skull. It was entirely possible that she was an early arrival and wanted to get her morning run in before starting work, but instinctually he doubted it. Something just didn't fit about her.  
  
"Miss, wait..." He called out.  
  
She ignored him and turned down a side street. Here the crowd of people was heavier and he had to push past them to keep up with her. He saw her step into another side street, looking over her shoulder as she did. That... couldn't be... Frank's steps faltered a moment until he realized that apparently the woman knew she was being followed. That just pushed his instinct that she was dodging him. Quickly he followed her into the alley... just in time to see a hand disappear over a 12-foot tall fence. Fluidly he sprang up the stacked boxes and peered over the top. But she was gone, there was no one in the alley and nothing to give evidence that she was even there to begin with. Silently cursing himself, he climbed back down and found a cab to take him back to his hotel.  
  
**** 


	5. An Idea Forms

A/N - Bec, yeah, you might be reading certain scenes of this story all over again. I took down an old story that I couldn't go anywhere with. So, I decided to re-work some of the scenes into a new story.  
  
Everyone else.... ~smug grin~ and where did ya'll get the idea that they're ex's? I never said they were... Stay tuned... ya'll will find out the truth in Chapter 9...  
  
****  
  
Original Sin  
- Part Five  
  
Disclaimer: See Part 1  
Rating: PG  
  
--  
  
"What if it wasn't one of our normal burglars, Boss?" Alex asked. "We've hit all the databases and even INTERPOL and still nothing turns up as fitting the MO. All the suspects you came up with aren't even in country. I hate to say it, but I think we're looking at someone who's not on the usual list of suspects."  
  
Exasperated, Donovan threw his hands up and went for a walk. In all fairness, he had begun thinking the same thing Alex had given voice to. This wasn't ordinary. But who... 'The curator, of course... the Museum Chairman... customs agents...' his mind went through a mile long list of people that would know. However, none of them would have the skills to make such a clean break of things.  
  
He thought back over the evidence left behind. The rappelling rope, the equipment that had been found on the roof where the alarm system had been deflected and bypassed. Simple, basic, but effective. Then there was the fact that it was a woman. Monica had told him that one of the guards had gotten a real close look at her. However, with the guard now in surgery to wire his jaw shut, he wasn't talking for at least another twelve hours. If the thief was in the Museum, chances were that she was long gone by now - with the jewels in hand.  
  
And then there was that woman he chased down yesterday morning. She eluded him like a ghost. Not too many people could do that. Only people who were trained... and really good burglars. Donovan was so wrapped up in his thoughts that he ran over a young lady with a cup of coffee in her hand. As he apologized and helped her up off the sidewalk where she landed, he caught sight of someone familiar.  
  
"Kennedi?" He hadn't seen her in years, not since...  
  
But the woman he called out to ignored him, keeping her back to him. She appeared to be waiting on someone or something.  
  
This time he shouted, leaving the other woman behind to fume over her spilled coffee. "Kennedi!!"  
  
The woman half-turned to him, but made like she wasn't who he was calling. A cab pulled up and she reached for the door. Frank swore under his breath. By the time he could get to her, she was gone.  
  
Frank stood there on the corner, watching the cab disappear into traffic. His mind swam with the possibilities. If Kennedi was in D.C., then that left the field wide open to the possibility... but she promised him.  
  
Of course, Kennedi Johnson had broken a lot of promises to him. As he ran through all the possibilities, his lower lip pouted out and his face fixed in a serious 'thinking' look. He turned around and started to walk back to the hotel where he and the others were staying. Pulling out his cell, he dialed Monica.  
  
"Yeah Frank?"  
  
"I have an idea. Meet me in the hotel lobby with my suitcase."  
  
"Uhm, sure. Mind filling me in so I can explain it?"  
  
"I will once I return. I'm going to see an old friend."  
  
**** 


	6. Hardened Heart

Yes... I AM going to make you all suffer until Chapter 9 to find out the cold hard truth... about the Heist. As far as them being EX's.... stick around one more chapter ~LOL~ I know, I'm rotten. But ya'll love me anyways.  
  
Happy reading!!  
  
****  
  
Original Sin  
- Part Six  
  
Disclaimer: See Part 1  
Rating: PG  
  
--  
  
Just Outside of Estes Park CO, January 2002  
2 days after the break-in  
  
The water ran down over her skin in rivulets and splashed down at her feet. She tilted her head back under the showerhead, the long ropes of ebony black hair sticking to her skin in places. Kennedi loved her baths, the feel of the water over her skin. The bathing room she was in was large, most of the decorations imported from Morocco. Keni loved the Moorish / Middle Eastern influences  
  
She turned the handle and shut the water off, reaching for the thick plush towel hanging near by. Kennedi wrapped it around her and tucked the tail into itself, then stepped out onto an equally thick mat to dry off. As she did, her forehead was puckered into a frown. She didn't like the phone call she'd gotten the night before. Frank was in Denver and driving up to see her. Frank... There wasn't a night that went by that she reach didn't reach across the bed for him.  
  
Keni sighed as she looked out of the window at the gentle snow falling outside. Even as annoying as it was it was still lovely in Estes Park and this year it seemed to be even more romantic than normal. Mornings like this reminded her of the first time that she and... She sighed again and wiped the thought out of her mind as her butler walked up behind her.  
  
"Thank you, Aaron." she said in an accent that was mixed English and American. The butler smiled and nodded as he handed her the silk robe, then turned and left her. As she combed her hair, she pondered cutting it short. A thought she'd had off and on for the last few years. Her crowning glory, a thick mass of blue black hair. Shaking her head with a chuckle, Keni pushed the thought back and padded into her office on bare feet.  
  
She settled behind the desk and the half-moon shaped reading glasses. She hated to use them, but for writing and reading up close, she had to. Keni then picked up her address book and flipped through the pages. Finding the entry she wanted, her long fingers quickly dialed the number.  
  
"Who are you calling now Kennedi?"  
  
"Amanda. Why so curious?" came the smooth as silk reply.  
  
"You are finally going to do it then?"  
  
Keni smiled and laughed, slipping off her reading glasses. "Apparently so." She smiled as the other end picked up. "Yes, good morning to you too Amanda. I need to see you immediately. It's time." Once she'd gotten the answer she wanted, she said good-bye and hung up.  
  
The elder man chuckled at Keni. He'd taken care of her since she was a young child and he knew her better than anyone else at times. "I can't even imagine how this is going to turn out. You do remember that you are going to have a visitor this afternoon."  
  
She slipped the glasses back on and resumed writing, the nib of the expensive fountain pen scratching lightly with each stroke on the fine linen stationary. Aaron watched her closely. She'd been acting differently since she got that phone call a week ago. Considering that Frank was on his way up, he broached the 'forbidden' subject once again. This was a fight they'd been having for the last four and a half years.  
  
"When does he find out, Kennedi? When is it enough?"  
  
"I haven't the faintest inkling of what you're talking about." Keni didn't look up from the letter, but her hand had stopped writing with the nib a hair's breath over the paper.  
  
"I think you do, Kennedi Johnson. When does he get forgiveness for sins he never committed?"  
  
She laid down the pen and sat back in the chair. How could she tell him that in the last five years, she'd wished more than once she could run back to Frank and beg him for forgiveness. He had no idea about the child yet either. How could he when she hadn't even known when she walked away. Shaking her head, she slipped the half-moon glasses back on and finished her letter. "I haven't the faintest idea what you're talking about, Aaron. Frank can just cope with it." Signing her name to the letter, she pressed the blotter over it before folding it. Warming the silver wax in the candle flame, she watched the white tip of the flame dance. 'To catch a criminal... marry one.' she thought with a sigh, then dabbed the wax onto the point of the envelope flap and pressed the seal into it. As she waited for the wax to cool, Keni felt Aaron watching her. Unable to look at him or give the answers that were not there, she took a closer look at her own seal of the stylized "K" superimposed over a rose in full bloom. How on earth could she tell Aaron that this all wasn't about sins Frank committed, but instead sins she committed...  
  
"Aaron... it..."  
  
"What, Kennedi?"  
  
She looked up and then handed the letter to him as she stood up. Silently Keni watched the snow falling outside of the window. Somewhere in the world there were lovers in each other's arms and friends smiling at one another. Five years ago she went into hiding and gave up her friends, her lover and husband, her freedom. Just to protect him... or so she kept telling herself.  
  
"He deserves to know, Kennedi. How long do you plan on keeping your secrets?"  
  
"Post that letter please. And let me worry about Frank Donovan."   
  
**** 


	7. A Meeting Of The Hearts

****  
  
Original Sin  
- Part Seven  
  
Disclaimer: See Part 1  
Rating: PG  
  
--  
  
A few hours later Donovan stood in Kennedi's office. He looked her over as she stood at the window looking at the snow. She was wearing a pair of black slacks, a red sweater and low heeled boots. She looked good...  
  
"I still remember the first snowfall."  
  
"I've tried to forget it Frank. I've tried to forget so many things about us." She hadn't turned around yet.  
  
Frank let the words hang there. She'd tried to forget... what he wouldn't have given to have her heart back again. She was different than he remembered. Her hair was gone, for one. A shoulder length style taking the place of the waist length waterfall of hair. She'd also changed her surroundings. When he met her, married her, she wasn't the kind of person who surrounded herself with luxury. But now... the items in here, the rich wood furniture and marble tiling led him to believe that this might not be the same person. But instinctually he knew differently.  
  
"Why? Why do you want to forget what we had?"  
  
"Because it's not who I am. Why did you come here Frank? I was happy being away from you." Keni didn't turn around as she spoke. She was hoping that she could inject enough venom into her words to push Frank back. When would he realize everything she was doing was for him... to protect him?  
  
Frank had started to cross the room to her when her words sank in. He backed up a step and drew in a sharp breath. "I need your help."  
  
"MY help?" She finally turned around. NOW she was curious. Slate gray eyes looked out from the part in her hair. Amanda had done an excellent job. The bobbed style she'd given Keni was just above shoulder length in the back and angled towards her jaw so it was long enough in the front to rest just past her collar bone. This way she could still pull it back into a ponytail. "What on earth could you possibly need my help on?"  
  
The acid dripping off of her words slapped him in the face. With a sigh, he took a seat and looked up at her. She was apparently still holding a grudge for the last fight they'd gotten into. The day before he'd left for his assignment, she'd asked him if she could help with anything. Without thinking, he'd smarted off that there was no way he'd ask for her help on this case. Before he could explain that it was a similar theft ring and that if it got out that she had looked into it and she might have been implicated, she had gotten up and left the room. He was only trying to protect her... "A jewel heist from a museum in Detroit. So far my team and I haven't dug anything up and... I could really use your help."  
  
Keni looked at him for a moment. Heist... Jewels... Detroit. If it weren't so ironic, she'd probably burst out laughing. "This is dangerous ground for me, Frank. If the rings found out I helped..."  
  
"I know. And we'd protect you. You know more about signatures and styles than we could ever imagine. Please Kennedi..."  
  
"I help you, you walk right back out of my life, yes? No trying to get me back, nothing."  
  
"Alright."  
  
Frank stood up to go. He'd made it to the door and had his hand on the knob when he heard "AND you sign divorce papers."  
  
He pushed the door closed and turned back to her. "When hell freezes over, Kennedi DONOVAN."  
  
She fixed a glare on him and balled up her hands on her hips. "You stubborn son of a bitch! Nothing changes with you, does it? No matter what I want, YOU always have to get what YOU want! I WANT THE DIVORCE OR NO DEAL!" Her voice rose to a shout the closer he got to her.  
  
"Goddamn it all... Even when screaming at me you still turn me on." he growled as he closed the short space between them and snatched her into a tight embrace. He bent her back, his lips clamping savagely down on hers in a possessive kiss. His tongue stole past her lips to dance along hers.  
  
Despite her mental resolve to not return the kiss, Keni found herself melting against him and passionately returning the kiss. One hand slid up to his shoulder, a soft moan in her throat as she sucked his tongue sweetly. However, all too soon she found herself pushed back and faced with the back view of Frank Donovan.  
  
"Be at the airport tomorrow morning, 9am." was all he said as he closed the door behind him.  
  
Keni blinked, touching her fingertips to her lips. That... that... that son of a bitch did it again!! In reaction, she scooped up a heavy leaded crystal vase and hurled it at the door.  
  
Frank was leaning against the wall outside of her office trying to catch his breath. Even after the heartache, anger and hatred, she still worked him over pretty good. He could still taste her on his lips, like strawberries. When he heard the explosive crash of the vase on the other side of the door, he scooted down the hallway, looking back over his shoulder. She still had a vile temper and he would have to be careful in dealing with her.  
  
**** 


	8. Introductions

A/N - As for getting to meet the child... Donovan Jr/Jrette... not until the end ~S~ That's a whole separate plotbunny all-together, yet rolled into one hell of an ending ~evil maniacal chortle~  
  
Thank you ALL so much for the reviews!!! I have a feeling this is the story that breaks 100! ~LOL~ Keep it up guys, you're making it SO easy for me to write for you all! LOVINS AND STUFFINS and such!!  
  
****  
  
Original Sin  
- Part Eight  
  
Disclaimer: See Part 1  
Rating: PG  
  
--  
  
Detroit MI, January 2002  
4 days after Break-in  
  
Keni stood in front of the four men and women that Frank introduced as his team. She wasn't sure if she liked the two women at all; they kept watching her like she was out of her mind. The black woman, Monica, kept giving her looks like she was trying to see past some sort of veil. More than once Keni had raised an eyebrow questioningly only to get a faked smile from the woman. This was going to be interesting.  
  
"You're saying that this woman can help us with who did it? Did I miss something Frank?" Alex dodged a look between Frank and this Kennedi Johnson. "Are we not the ones that the upper levels called in to investigate?"  
  
"Yes, Agent Cross. A long time ago, in a galaxy far, far away, there sprouted people with intelligence and brains. Where you came from I have no idea. But suffice it to say, I know the world of jewel thieves and thieves in general."  
  
Alex blinked, then clamped her lips shut as her cheeks colored a furious pink. Frank cringed. What a way to make friends...  
  
"Alex..." Frank started.  
  
"Are you a thief?" Alex cut Frank off, her blue eyes boring into Kennedi's  
  
"No, I just play one on TV."  
  
Jake, Alex, Monica and Cody stared at her open-mouthed. Was this woman for real or what?  
  
Keni sighed and sat down. "I was once engaged to a jewel thief. But Donovan here got me on the straight and narrow, damn him. I've been retired from that life for several years."  
  
"Guys, there will be plenty of time for you to get used to Keni and her rather acid wit. She is going to be helping us in a consultant's capacity. She knows signatures, styles, the whole thing. If there is an active thief out there, I'm sure Keni knows how they operate."  
  
"From what Frank told me on the plane, it's a safe bet that whoever did it will be coming back for the jewels. I know that if it were me personally and I'd been found, I'd have stashed the jewels and come back later. That this thief is a woman only makes more sense."  
  
"How so?" Jake sat forward, more than curious now.  
  
"Men have more balls about it, they want to get it and get out quickly, leave a body or two behind if they're found. Women thieves are more cunning on the whole. They think it through, have back up plans and alternate endings and rarely leave bodies."  
  
"You don't think she'll actually come BACK for them, do you?" Jake said.  
  
Monica had listened quietly, watching Frank like a hawk. She knew that there was more than he was letting on. He was hedging something, hiding something. The way he kept watching Kennedi was more than intriguing, like he knew her more than either one was letting on. Of course, the man had more secrets than God. Eventually, when he felt the timing was right, they'd all find out what this particular secret was. They'd get to the bottom of all of his secrets... or throttle him silly out of frustration.  
  
"Yes, I do."  
  
"Then we'd best find the jewels before the thief comes back." Alex said. There was something odd about this woman that she couldn't put her finger on...  
  
Keni flicked a look to Alex, then at Monica. She could feel the hostility oozing off of these two women, Alex in particular. Monica was just prying; Alex seemed to take things personally. She shook her head and stood up. "I'm out of here Frank. You know where I'll be when the kids decide to stop playing."  
  
He caught her by the arm as she reached for the doorknob. "What are you talking about Keni?" he hissed in her ear.  
  
"Your girlfriend, Frank." she hissed right back at him. "You haven't changed. Go on, Alex is making it quite clear where her territory is and it includes you. When you decide that you truly want my help, I'll be at the museum." She pulled her arm from his grasp and exited the room.  
  
"What a bitch."  
  
Frank slowly turned around to see Alex smirking. "Don't ever let me hear you talking about Kennedi that way again."  
  
Alex gawked as Frank walked out of the hotel room and closed the door quietly behind him.  
  
**** 


	9. The Third Sin

****  
  
Original Sin  
- Part Nine  
  
Disclaimer: See Part 1  
Rating: PG  
  
--  
  
Keni sighed and leaned against the wall down in the lobby. This phone call wasn't going well. On her way down the elevator after leaving Frank behind, her cell went off. On the other end was someone she'd kind of hoped never to speak to again.  
  
"You're not giving me a chance!"  
  
"You bungled it Keni."  
  
"I did not. Look, the Feds are on this; I have to be careful here. I know the man in charge and he's asked me to play consultant. It's simple logic. While he's chasing around the countryside for a ghost, I'll finish the job."  
  
"Yes, I know that you know Frank Donovan. He's the reason you're doing this job for me, isn't it Keni?" the voice chuckled.  
  
Keni wanted to just beat her phone up against the wall until it was a pile of splinters and shards of plastic. Instead she just sucked in a breath and forced herself to remain calm. "Yes. And I expect the deal to be kept. I get this done, he is left alone - got it?"  
  
"A deal is a deal Keni. You bring me the jewels and the crown and I'll forget you ever fucked Frank Donovan."  
  
"Watch your fucking mouth!"  
  
"Ohhh touchy touchy. Did I hit a nerve Keni? I'll have to remember that. How's the brat, by the way?"  
  
"He's fine, out of your hands for certain. Leave Cisco out of this or there will be no place on earth you can hide from me. This is not an option." her voice took on an ice-cold edge to it. Threats against her life she could handle. Threats against her husband she could handle. You do not threaten her son and live.  
  
"Are you sure that he's out of my reach little girl?" The voice got deadly silent on the other end. "If I wanted, I could have your boy and his grandparents brought back to the States and you know it. If I ever need some heavy ammunition against you, I think I know what to use."  
  
"Touch one hair on his head and so help me God I'll-"  
  
"You'll do what?" Again came a chuckle. "Just do the damned job and get me the jewels and all will be right with the world."  
  
Her line clicked dead before she could get to answer. With another sigh, she shut off the connection on her cell. She sagged against the wall, fighting back the tears. For five years she'd lived a clean life. No thefts, no speeding tickets, nothing. For five years she went into hiding, gave birth to her son and then for his well being, shipped him off to live with his grandparents. Now, within the last week her world turned over and she was back in. For the life of her estranged husband and the safety of her son, she gave in and accepted the deal to lift the jewels from the museum while the exhibit was on the road. What the hell was she thinking?  
  
"Kennedi?"  
  
Keni looked up, the free tears coursing down her cheeks, to see Frank standing in front of her. All of a sudden the expression on his face changed to one of alarm and concern.  
  
"What happened baby?" He put his arms around her and held her tight. Her arms wound around his shoulders and hugged him tight in return. He stroked her hair soothingly and shushed in her ear. "I never could stand to see you cry Keni. Tell me what's wrong."  
  
Keni pulled back out of his arms and looked up at him. Concern was etched all over him plainly. Oh how she wanted to tell him... But she couldn't tell him anything. She had to keep him safe at all costs. Unbidden, her fingers closest to his chin stroked slowly over the thin goatee. "Frank.."  
  
His mouth closing onto hers cut off her whisper. This wasn't the same kiss from the day before. This one was comforting, loving, and tender. Both of his hands brushed along her cheeks and pushed her hair from her face. Tenderly his lips pulled back from hers to press a soft kiss to her forehead.   
  
Keni rested her head on his shoulder as he held her there. Somehow, by some miracle or cruel irony, she felt safer in his presence... and strengthened as well.  
  
"Kennedi... tell me why." he whispered.  
  
She paused and pulled back out of his arms. She looked him up and down cautiously, then turned and walked towards the door.  
  
"Kennedi!"  
  
She stopped and looked back.  
  
"I never stopped loving you, even after you left me."  
  
"Then you've wasted your time, Frank Donovan."  
  
**** 


	10. The Mystery Deepens

****  
  
Original Sin  
- Part Ten  
  
Disclaimer: See Part 1  
Rating: PG  
  
--  
  
"You're sure?"  
  
"Yes, of course I'm sure. How much plainer can you get than 'Frank kissed Kennedi in the lobby'?!"  
  
"You two shouldn't be gossiping." Monica sat down at the laptop across from Cody and Alex.  
  
"We're are not gossiping Monica! It's as plain as day that Frank and that woman have more history than either are going to tell us. I mean really - playing tonsil hockey in the lobby is a bit more than old friends." Alex huffed and leaned back in the chair. She had followed Frank down to find out why he was so pissed off at the truth. Instead she got an eyeful of Frank and Kennedi Johnson sucking tongues rather heatedly.  
  
"And if I am? I doubt it's anyone's business but mine and hers. Our main focus is recovering the stolen jewels, not my private life." Frank walked in to hear the last part of Alex's rebuttal to Monica.  
  
"Only if your private life doesn't interfere with our job Frank! I'm concerned about Johnson. There's something there that I can't put my finger on that she's hiding."  
  
"Maybe it's the fact that she's guarding her words because you're giving off extremely hostile vibes. Keni is very intuitive about who's a potential ally and who's not. I asked her to come and help with this. The least you could do is give her a chance before you decide she's the enemy."  
  
"But Frank -"  
  
"End of discussion Alex. Drop it."  
  
The look on her face showed that she could have spat nails - at Kennedi Johnson most likely. Frank ignored her and moved towards the phone. "Where is Jake?"  
  
"I sent him back to the museum to check things out." Monica said. "I thought it might be a good idea." She got up and followed Frank as he went into the bedroom, then closed the door behind them. "What's going on Frank?"  
  
"What do you mean Monica?"  
  
"With this woman. She says she's an old friend, you helped her out by getting her straight. But there is more to it, I can feel it. Is she a threat to this case?"  
  
"That's your job, isn't it Monica, to profile people? Tell me what you think of Kennedi Johnson." He sat down on the edge of the bed while Monica moved to the small desk a few feet away.  
  
"She's arrogant, well educated, quick wit and mind. Very territorial, obviously. She and Alex are going to have a rough time getting along. I can see more conflicts in the future between them - especially if Alex views Kennedi as a threat. There is also something else she's guarding, that she's fighting for. Call me crazy, Frank, but I think your Kennedi Johnson has a deep dark secret that she doesn't want you to know."  
  
Frank watched her quietly as she analyzed Keni. "You're right.  
  
"So what is it that we don't know?"  
  
"That.. is a mystery. I know she's hiding something from me.  
  
**** 


	11. Kennedi's Not-So-Hidden Talents

****  
  
Original Sin  
- Part Eleven  
  
Disclaimer: See Part 1  
Rating: PG  
  
--  
  
"Whatcha doin' Kennedi?"  
  
Keni jumped and shrieked. It'd been silent as a tomb in this particular room since the curator had sealed it off. "J.. Jake?!" She put her hand over her heart and tried to catch her breath. It took all she had in her to not reach out and smack him. "Please, for the love of God, don't do that again!"  
  
"You didn't answer my question. What were you doing?" Jake frowned a bit. He'd seen her cross over the barricades and reach into the cases. The holes that had been cut were the right size for her fist.   
  
"What does it look like I'm doing? I'm getting a feel for your thief. It's a woman, that much we know. But what we don't know so far is what she looks like, correct?"  
  
Jake nodded, putting his hands into the pockets of his jeans. She reminded him a lot of Alex's attitude and Monica's mind. Scary...  
  
"OK. Hey... is that a tarp over the skylight?"  
  
"Yup. The locals tarped it over so no snow or rain would come in."  
  
"Can I get up there? It might help me put it together to see how she bypassed the security system."  
  
"Eh, I don't know. Not sure if Frank wants you up there. Whatever evidence is up there might be destroyed if you go poking around."  
  
Keni shot him a look. "I'm not a clod, Agent Shaw." With that, she took a light running start and shot up into the air. Her hands clasped around the rappelling rope and she shimmied up the swinging rope like nobody's business.  
  
Jake gawked. Damn where did Frank find this woman?! But something wasn't right. Rappelling rope was sold by weight, meaning that it was weight tolerant. A certain grade had a certain weight limit. Whoever the thief was had to be in Kennedi's weight range and height range.  
  
"HEY!"  
  
"What?" he shouted up. Keni was at the skylight already and had her head poking out into the tarp  
  
"Have you seen this?" She waved something metallic with wires coming off of it. As she looked down below, she could see Jake squinting. If she were going to destroy the evidence, then now would be the time to do it. But, she paused, if she destroyed it... then that wouldn't allow her to 'process' the information and lead them on a chase. Better not... She put it back and braced herself for the slide down.  
  
Jake grimaced as she shot down the rope with a soft 'zwip' sound. In a matter of seconds she was hanging above his head and shifting her position. He watched with morbid fascination as she turned upside down and hung from the rope by her ankles with no support at all. He dropped his jaw when she let go all together and simply hung there mere feet over his head.  
  
"Close your mouth please. You're breath smells like onions." Keni winked. She knew that she'd given Jake a crucial piece of information by shimmying up the rope like she did. "Rappelling rope, glorious stuff. It's weight graded, so whoever did it is in my weight range. What I was trying to show you up on the skylight was a circuit bypass. She drilled four holes, inserted conductor bolts and rerouted the electricity through a meter so as not to disturb the alarm system when she cut the glass. The size of the hole means that she is about my size as well, around I mean. Most curious..."  
  
"OK - she's your weight and size. What about height? How do we know she's not short and solid boned?"  
  
Keni laughed and swung her arms. In a moment or two, she had enough momentum built to where she could grasp the rope, release the lock on her ankles and flip down. She landed with her trademark catlike grace in a crouched position. Slowly she rose up and turned towards Jake.  
  
Jake couldn't believe he'd seen her do that. The woman was more acrobat than anything else. "Whoa."  
  
"I'll take that as a compliment. We now know she's not short and solid because most thieves are built like me. They keep their weight as minimal as possible so as not to tip any weight sensors and for ease in climbing ropes." Her right hand lifted in Vannah White style towards the still swinging rappel rope. "Thieves are also very vain in general. They won't let themselves get out of physical fitness and being overweight is a no-no. I'm hungry. You get to buy me lunch."  
  
With that, she dusted her hands off and walked past Jake who stared after her open mouthed again.  
  
**** 


	12. An Art, Not a Science

****  
  
Original Sin  
- Part Twelve  
  
Disclaimer: See Part 1  
Rating: PG  
  
--  
  
"Cody."  
  
"Yeah Alex."  
  
"See what you can dig up on this Kennedi Johnson. She's been here two days already and hasn't given us anymore than the theory that the thief is her size, her height, and her weight. No leads as to who it might be or anything."  
  
"Uhh, Alex..." Cody had turned around in his chair and was staring at a rather unhappy Kennedi Johnson standing behind Alex.  
  
"Just do it Cody."  
  
"What exactly do you want to know about me, Agent Cross?" Keni shifted her position and crossed her arms over her stomach. She knew that Alex didn't like her. That was just too damned bad for her.  
  
"I'd like to know why you've only given us something that we could have figured out for ourselves?"  
  
"Because identifying thieves by latent evidence isn't exactly a science. It's an artform. It's all smoke and mirrors, Agent Cross, the world of thieves. What you think you know about one turns out to be an illusion. I should think, you being an undercover operative, that you'd understand the game that comes inherent." Keni winked and turned around to go back to her own hotel room. She had more important things to do - like coming up with a ghost that Frank and his team could chase across the country while she got back into the museum and re-heisted the jewels.  
  
As Keni left, Cody whistled softly and turned back to his laptop.  
  
"Get me that information Cody, please?"  
  
"Cut her a break Alex. She's right. We know the games and chases that come within the world of thieves. How many times have you and I played cat and mouse with our targets?"  
  
"Kennedi is different Jake. I can't tell you why or how I know it, but she's different. She's hiding something from all of us - Frank most of all."  
  
"That's probably so, but it's between them." Jake sat down and picked up some of the photographs of the crime scene. Since Keni had arrived and given them what little information she had, Frank had allowed the police to clean up the crime scene and let the museum get back to it's normal operations. The only snag in the routine was that the particular exhibit was closed until further notice.  
  
"I'm hitting problems Alex."  
  
"Like what Cody?"  
  
"Like, she doesn't exist. I'm hitting all sorts of 'no such person' and red flags. Last time I hit roadblocks like that was when. I - Oh man, you don't think she's under the witness protection, do you?"  
  
"No. She's not."  
  
All three of them turned around to see Frank with a sour look on his face. "I don't appreciate you all wasting your time investigating Kennedi when you could be helping her."  
  
"Frank, don't you think it's a bit odd that she's turning up nothing new or earth shattering? I mean, come on and think about it. She's given us information that we would have found on our own."  
  
"I brought her in for a reason, Alex. I know you're suspicious of her. But leave her to me. Do your jobs and let Keni do hers."  
  
"But, Frank... what if she's not here to help us?"  
  
Frank fixed Alex with a hard stare. The thought had crept into his mind once or twice. But he fought it back with the memory that she had promised him that she had left that part of her life behind when she married him.  
  
Alex could see the thread of doubt in his eyes as he stared at her. "You know I'm right. Frank... what if?"  
  
"We'll deal with that later... I'LL deal with it later if it becomes necessary."  
  
**** 


	13. Coffee, Tea... or Divorce?

****  
  
Original Sin  
- Part Thirteen  
  
Disclaimer: See Part 1  
Rating: PG  
  
--  
  
"They're suspicious of me."  
  
Frank stopped in mid-sip of his wine and looked at Keni. She'd agreed to have dinner with him later that night after a lot of pestering and negotiations. Keni sat across the table from him and picked at her vegetables. She never was a big meat eater. Usually Frank gave her all of his veggies and she gave him whatever piece of meat that was on her plate. "What makes you say that they're suspicious of you?"  
  
She gave him a 'blah' look and sat back. "You don't see the looks, how they watch me. Agent Cross acts like I'm John fucking Gotti and your psychologist keeps trying to get me to talk. Like I'm going to tell her where the body is hidden or something important."  
  
"They're trying to get to know you better, figure out how you work. You're a mysterious creature to them."  
  
"I once was with you."  
  
"Yes... I remember." His eyes softened a bit and he reached for her hand.  
  
Keni withdrew her hand and forced a hard look into her eyes. "Yes. And look where it's gotten me. Someplace I'd rather not be, doing something I'd rather not be doing, with you."  
  
Frank recoiled as if she'd stabbed him in the back of the hand with her fork and a hurt look came over his face. For a moment Keni wanted to take back what she'd said. However, she knew she couldn't. It was better this way really.  
  
"Do you regret what we had?" he asked softly.  
  
Keni looked at him. She wanted nothing more than to throw herself across the table and suck his tongue until his head caved in. She ran her fingertip over the edge of the wineglass, a soft harmonic tone resonating from the crystal as she did. "I don't regret what he had," she said softly, looking down. "I regret what we became."  
  
"What was that Keni?"  
  
"A pair of lovers who fought more than they made love. I would have done anything to help you Frank, but you shut me out and began treating me like your job rather than your wife."  
  
"You weren't fair to me Keni. I have seen horrible things that happen to wives and husbands of law enforcement personnel. I wanted to protect you from all those things that I had seen."  
  
"I know you did Frank. But you should have opened up to me. Towards the end, I felt so alone, so left out and in a glass cage. I had to break out of that cage."  
  
"So you left me? Why didn't you tell me what was going on?"  
  
Good question... why didn't she tell him? For one simple reason... his own safety. Keni looked at him, her finger rubbing the edge of the glass carefully. "I had my reasons Frank. Trust me and let it go."  
  
Frank gave her a hard look. Something had changed, something wasn't right. She put that wall up again and closed him out. That was twice she'd let it down only to push him back and close herself off again. What was she hiding? "I can't let it go. You're my wife and I want to help you."  
  
"Your wife," she deadpanned. "That, Agent Donovan, is something I should like to change." She grabbed up her purse and slid to her feet, beelining for the front door.  
  
Frank sighed and hung his head. "Another cold day in hell." he whispered to himself.  
  
**** 


	14. Accusations and Alienation

A/N -   
  
Catfight Stephanie? hmmm... stick around a few more chapters... ~EG~  
  
For those of you who are beginning to like Keni... ~sighs~ ya'll are gonna hate her after this chapter and the next two. I can hope that towards the end, you'll like her again.  
  
Sandra - eventually they DO get locked in a room together... wait and see. ~wink~  
  
Karri - yes, they do need a good counselor... but I think they work it out themselves. Keni's a woman on a mission and so much like Frank it's scary. Be patient with her.  
  
Everyone else - THANKS FOR THE REVIEWS!!! Shit, thanks for reading!! ~LOL~ Enjoy!  
  
****  
  
Original Sin  
- Part Fourteen  
  
Disclaimer: See Part 1  
Rating: PG  
  
--  
  
Frank, Jake, Kennedi and Alex were at the Museum bright and early the next morning. Frank had decided to go on Keni's theory of the thief stashing the jewels there in the museum. They had all split up, each taking a room that branched off from the main display.  
  
Jake and Alex reported back that they had come up with nothing in their room. Keni shook her head in disbelief.  
  
"I can't believe this. You're sending them to look for a jewel stash? They couldn't find their butts with both hands when it comes to this."  
  
"So, why don't you look for them Miss Johnson?" came the acidic reply from Alex.  
  
"First off, Agent Cross... tone down the bile. Second, you're both looking in the wrong places. You're looking at the obvious. Look at the not so obvious. Like right out in the open..."  
  
She smirked and walked into the room where she had truly hidden the jewels. The suits of armor dominated the room along with the glass cases of swords on display. Some of them were in mint condition and still held a wicked gleam on the razor sharp edges. As she passed by them, Keni purred in almost orgasmic pleasure.  
  
Jake leaned over to Frank as she and Alex began searching the room in all the non-obvious spots. "What's all that over the swords?"  
  
Frank chuckled. "In high school and later in college, Kennedi was the Rapiers Champion for the respective fencing teams. I had the misfortune of sneaking up on her when she was sparring one day."  
  
Jake blinked and looked up at his boss. "What happened?"  
  
"Nothing. She spun around, got me up against the wall with the edge at my throat and suggested I not do that again. I didn't." He laughed lightly at the memory. What he hadn't told Jake was that he'd heard the sounds of a workout, but it sounded like she was being attacked. He'd rushed in, gun drawn and ready to fend off whoever it was. After he'd startled her, he found himself being driven backwards and suddenly found his gun hand empty as his weapon clattered across the floor.  
  
"I would hate to see Kennedi in a real life duel. She might well kill someone if she had to." Frank said as he left Jake's side to check on Keni and Alex.  
  
"Nothing here. Maybe I was wrong and your thief got away with the jewels." Keni said in an exasperated tone.  
  
Alex threw her a look and shrugged. "Maybe she did. What's eating me is that so far, no leads have come out of Miss Johnson's presence."  
  
"I just don't know Frank. Things have changed so much in the last five years. Old rings have died, the thieves I knew are dead or in jail... there's probably a whole new breed in play. You shouldn't have brought me in."  
  
"For once, we agree." Alex stated flatly.  
  
"Alex, lighten up. Kennedi, you were asked here to give me and my team a profile to work with. You have done just that."  
  
Alex rolled her eyes and huffed. "Why do you defend her when she hasn't done a damned thing except waste our time? For all we know she IS the thief!"  
  
Kennedi blinked in shock and pulled back, inching towards Frank. Damn that woman... now she had to pull something out that she didn't want to - Using Frank. "How... how dare you!! I most certainly am NOT the thief!"  
  
"How do we know you aren't?"  
  
"Because I promised Frank when he got me straight that that part of my life was over!" she shouted back, forcing tears into her eyes. It worked. Frank's hands came up and rested on her shoulder comfortingly.  
  
"Alex, that's quite enough."  
  
"No, Frank. LOOK at the evidence! There is the rappelling rope, sold by weight grade - it matches Kennedi's weight range!"  
  
"So do half a million other women Alex." Jake countered.  
  
"And the holes cut into the display cases... Kennedi can fit her hand through them easily and given the size of the holes and the size of the jewels, I'd say that there is quite enough room for her to grasp them and still clear the edge of the cut glass."  
  
"STOP IT!" Keni shouted, tears streaming down her cheeks. She turned into Frank's chest, sobbing in mock hurt at Alex's accusations.  
  
"That's enough Agent Cross!" Frank shouted, his arms wrapping around Keni's shoulders.  
  
"NO FRANK!! It's not!! She told Jake that the thief was her height, her weight, her size, she found the circuit bypass on the roof near the skylight and Jake said you should have seen her climb the rappelling rope! Frank, it's all too convenient for this to be a coincidence!"  
  
"I wasn't... I wasn't even here! If you're so damned certain that it was me, AGENT CROSS," Keni pulled back from Frank's chest and wiped her eyes. "Then go to the airlines, check my credit cards, do what ever the hell you want and check it out. I was in Colorado the day it happened, in Denver. I don't know what I did to you to deserve this, but you win. Tomorrow I'm out of here, back to where I came from and Frank can be all yours." she whispered before she pulled out of Frank's embrace and left the room in tears again.  
  
Frank sighed. "Happy now Alex?"  
  
As he left, she shook her head and looked at Jake. "Not until I run a check on her, just like she suggested. We should have done it to begin with." When Frank shook his head and followed after Keni, she turned to Jake. "Why do I get the feeling there is a whole hell of a lot missing?"  
  
"Let it go Alex. Just let her alone."  
  
"I can't. Something's telling me that it's not right."  
  
**** 


	15. The Fourth Sin Begins...

****  
  
Original Sin  
- Part Fifteen  
  
Disclaimer: See Part 1  
Rating: PG  
  
--  
  
Cody looked up at Frank. "You want me to do what?"  
  
"You heard me." Frank sighed. "Run a full check on Kennedi for the day before, the day of, and the day after the heist. I want to verify that she was nowhere near Detroit that day."  
  
"Sure thing. Hey, before you go." Cody spun around in his chair. "Alex and Jake requested to put surveillance up in the Museum on the chance that the thief would come back for the jewels like Miss Johnson theorized."  
  
"Do it. Set it up so that they can watch through the security control room at the Museum. If you need me, I'll be in my own room. Let me know when you've got that check run, please Cody?"  
  
"Will do Boss." He waited until Frank had left before turning to Monica. "Did you hear that?"  
  
"What?"  
  
"He called me Cody, said please! Oh God someone check my heartbeat to make sure I haven't died and gone to hell!"  
  
"Those doctors haven't finished working on you yet, have they?"  
  
"Probably not."  
  
--  
  
Frank dropped backward onto his bed and stared at the ceiling. Alex's suspicions were beginning to nag at him. What if she was right and Kennedi was the thief? NO! his mind shouted at him. She'd promised him that life was over. She wouldn't go back on her promises...  
  
Across the hall in her own room, Kennedi was on her cell phone.  
  
"You what?"  
  
"You heard me. I'm running out of time."  
  
"But, Miss Johnson. Is that wise?"  
  
"I don't have a choice Aaron. Agent Cross seems to think I'm the thief. I got to finish it and get out of here before they find those jewels."  
  
"Be careful my dear. Your child is waiting for his mother you know."  
  
"I know Aaron. If.... If something should happen..."  
  
"I know. I promise I will take care of everything. Now go, finish it up and tell Frank about everything as soon as you can." He hung up and left Keni to her thoughts. A knock at the door startled her, jolting her off the bed and to the door.  
  
"Room Service."  
  
With a sigh of relief, Keni opened the door and took the bottle and two wineglasses from the man. She hated to do this, but she knew she had no choice. She slid her shoes off and picked up her cardkey...  
  
--  
  
Cody's forehead wrinkled in confusion. "Just what is he looking for Monica? I'm not finding anything at all. The credit card information puts her in both Denver and Detroit."  
  
"What?!" Monica left the report she was reading over and looked over Cody's shoulder. "How can she be in both places at once?"  
  
"Easy. She gets someone she trusts to use her cards in Denver while she's here lifting the jewels."  
  
"Oh Cody, you don't really think she's the thief, do you?"  
  
"Alex seems to think so... that's why she wanted the surveillance on the museum."  
  
"Cody, what about the airplane manifests for that day out of Denver or into Detroit?"  
  
"Checked them already from every departure into Detroit for the day before, the day of and the day after. No Kennedi Johnson. Not even a K. Johnson. On the off chance she snuck in under the radar, I checked all arrivals into Detroit and nothing. If she was here, she had to use an alias to book the tickets."  
  
"No good Cody. She'd have to show identification for boarding. With the 9-11 security restrictions, major airlines require proof of identity."  
  
Cody spun around in his chair and looked at Monica. "Do you smell a cover-up here? Because I'm not getting good feelings on this at all."  
  
"Cody, the only way she'd be able to get into Detroit is by driving or false identity. And if that's the case, if she used an alias, then she's a lot slicker than we gave her credit for in the beginning."  
  
Cody turned back around and scanned the manifests for any flights out of Detroit the day of and the day after the heist. "Yeah. And Frank's in for a rude awakening."  
  
--  
  
Across the hall back in Frank's room, a soft knock echoed through the room. Frank at first didn't hear it. He'd had his eyes closed and was in a sort of sleep mode. When the knock echoed again, his eyes rolled open slowly. Groaning, he pushed himself off of the bed and pushed the thoughts of Kennedi out of his mind. It was probably Cody with that information.  
  
But as he opened the door, he found his wife standing there in the pair of soft gray slacks and pearl white silk blouse she'd been wearing today at the Museum. Her shoes were missing and her hands held the bottle of Cabernet Sauvignon along with two wineglasses.  
  
**** 


	16. Burning it Down

****  
  
Original Sin  
- Part Sixteen  
  
Disclaimer: See Part 1  
Rating: PG  
  
--  
  
"Kennedi... what -"  
  
Frank's question was cut off by Keni's lips closing over his. She'd tried so hard to fight it but she just couldn't anymore. No matter what she said to him, what lies she spit out, what ever she did, she still loved him and wanted him like no tomorrow. It had hurt more and more recently to look at him. That familiar ache had been building up over the last week and it was just more than she could handle. She needed Frank on a basic physical level.  
  
Frank found his arms full of his wife's body, her arms sliding around his neck and her lips were warm and soft against his. God help him he still loved her despite the doubts that he'd been having recently. The scent of her soap and the feel of her body caused a chain reaction in him. "God Kennedi..." he whispered as one hand reached blindly for the door.  
  
Keni reached behind her with her foot and kicked the door closed when he couldn't. "Frank..." she whispered as her lips worked a soft moist trail down his neck. She still held the bottle of wine and two glasses in her hands. She licked and kissed every inch of his throat and chin, the short silky hairs of his goatee tickling her as she inched back up to reclaim his lips.  
  
Frank took the bottle from her along with the glasses and set them down on the small desk. As soon as he turned around to her again, she threw herself into his arms. But he needed answers first; more than that he needed to know the truth. "Keni, stop." He pulled her arms from around his neck and pushed her a step back. "Why? What's going on? For the last week you've been hateful, spiteful, and adamant about the divorce. What's going on?"  
  
She looked up at him, her gray eyes the color of doves and soft. Her lips were swollen from their kisses and slightly moist. She also looked like she was about to cry because he pushed her back. "I'm sorry Frank, for being so mean. I only did what I thought was best. Not a night went by that I didn't reach for you, need you. Soon this will all be over, and we'll be apart again."  
  
"No Keni. We don't have to be."  
  
She looked at him, her thumb stroking the slight pulse of the artery in his neck. Perhaps Aaron was right. Maybe it was time to forgive him for the sins he never committed and trust him. Maybe it was time to tell him everything... "Tomorrow Frank. Tomorrow I'll tell you everything. Tonight, make love to me..."  
  
Frank's arms came around her tightly and lifted her in a bear hug off of her feet. He carried her into the bedroom and Keni immediately found herself pinned underneath him on the bed. He kissed down her neck, forgoing the buttons in favor of ripping her shirt open. Buttons pinged against the wall and bounced along the floor as Frank moved slowly down to the heated valley between her breasts. Jesus she even smelled like strawberries... Hungrily he sucked one of her nipples between his lips, rolling it with his tongue as his fingers pushed past the waist of her pants.  
  
Keni's eyes closed and her back arched off the bed slightly. The fire that had sparked deep inside of her the day he came to ask for her help was now burning out of control. Her fingers slowly pulled his turtleneck free of his waistband and over his shoulders. He raised up long enough to pull it off and throw it aside. At the same time, Keni quickly discarded her pants, shirt, bra and panties. There was no time for tenderness. Each of them needed the other desperately now.  
  
As Frank unbuttoned his pants, Keni's gray eyes fixed onto his erection. Damn that man was gifted... She lifted herself up off of the bed long enough to grasp him by the shoulders and drag him back down with her. They both bounced slightly as they hit the bed together, their mouths crushing together even as their bodies molded against each other.  
  
He could feel how ready and willing she was. His member pressed against her core firmly, her moist heat spreading across him quickly. He groaned against her lips, his hand sliding down over her side. "Keni" he whispered, his hands grasping her hips and pulling her up against him. He shifted and pressed into her, sinking into her velvety center slowly.  
  
Kennedi purred, tilting her hips as she wrapped her legs around his waist. Sweet mercy she missed the feel of him buried inside of her!  
  
Urgency overtook Frank. She felt divine wrapped around him, too divine to restrain himself. He plunged forcefully into her, his fingers digging into her firm buttocks. Her legs slid down over hips to his thighs as she rode out his impatient thrusts into her over and over. His groans matched her gasps, his lips dragging over her neck and shoulders roughly. The stubble of his goatee left a pink tender trail where it razed her skin in his kisses. Her murmurs reached his ears, urging him closer to her.  
  
Both felt the pressure of release building to an unbearable pain. Each stroke he made into her was a sweet death and she began shaking. It'd been far too long since she'd given him her embrace. Underneath him, she shuddered, soaring over the peak with a strangled gasp. Her back arched off the bed, her legs squeezing his hips tighter into her as she came around him.  
  
Her name was whispered on his lips as Frank's own release claimed him. He buried his face into her neck, his hips freezing in one final deep thrust into her. A faint shake ran through him as he slowly relaxed. "Sweet Mercy Keni" he whispered against her neck.  
  
As she wound her arms over Frank's shoulder and drew him up to lay beside her, her mind cleared. The haze of lust and passion moved aside just enough for her to remember why she'd come here to begin with. The bitter taste rose up in her throat at Frank's lips pressed over her ear and neck again and again.  
  
"Frank."  
  
"Yes baby?"  
  
"How about a glass of wine? It's your favorite."  
  
**** 


	17. The Fourth Sin

A/N - if you don't hate her by now, you will by the end of the chapter. Just keep repeating the mantra "It will always get worse before it gets better".  
  
and just remember that Kennedi does get hers in the end. ~evil grin~  
  
****  
  
Original Sin  
- Part Seventeen  
  
Disclaimer: See Part 1  
Rating: PG  
  
--  
  
"How can I resist such an offer?" He smiled and kissed the tip of her nose before sliding off of her and walking towards the table where he'd put the bottle and glasses.  
  
He heard a slight movement behind him and turned around. She was closing the bathroom door behind her. He smiled and sauntered over. "I've seen you naked before Cherie. No need to hide from me."  
  
The sound of running water greeted him. A furrow creased his forehead. "Keni?"  
  
"Just a minute Frank. I've got a surprise for you."  
  
"But... your wine..."  
  
"Go ahead and open it, I'll be right out!"  
  
Blinking in confusion, Frank finally shrugged and opened the bottle. He was just pouring out the first glass when she opened the door, wrapped in a towel. She tucked her hair back behind one ear and smiled while holding her hand out to him. "Come."  
  
"Yes Ma'am" he drawled thickly. Picking up the bottle of wine and the other glass, he stepped over to her. Her eyes flicked down over his magnificent body as she reached for the bottle and empty glass.  
  
"Set mine on the sink. I'll pour yours out and bring it to you." She whispered as her mouth found his broad chest in a soft kiss. Her free hand caressed down his stomach to the semi-hard member between his thighs.  
  
Frank groaned softly. "Keni.."  
  
"Get into the water Frank. Please?"  
  
He looked down into her soft gray eyes and melted. She'd done this for him once before. He'd had a busy week and came home one night with his back and shoulders full of knotted muscles. She smiled and drew him a scalding hot bath, then slowly sponged the hot water all over his chest and shoulders while the steam helped relax him. That was one of the most treasured memories that he'd held onto.  
  
Keni watched as he caressed her cheek, then stepped past her into the bathroom. When she heard him set the glass down and begin to step into the tub, she hurried over to her slacks discarded onto the floor. She searched the pockets and came up with the little white capsule. "I'm sorry Frank" she whispered as she broke the seal and shook the small amount of powder into the bottom of the glass and quickly filled it with the red wine. This was it.. No going back now as she turned and sashayed into the bathroom with a slow sultry sway of her hips. The sleeping pill would be just enough combined with the wine to put Frank into a light sleep... the heat of the water and the massage would put him out completely.  
  
Frank's eyes were closed as he leaned his head back on the edge of the tub. He felt her hands on his, placing the glass of wine in his hand. He purred and sipped the wine, moaning softly as he felt the water move around him.  
  
Slowly Keni dipped the washcloth into the water and dragged it up his stomach and chest. Under her hand, his stomach muscles clenched and unclenched rhythmically. Slowly, over and over again, she dipped the washcloth into the water and dragged it back up - over his shoulders, up his neck, his back and over his arms. When she was satisfied that his neck and shoulders had received enough attention, she refilled his glass of wine and handed it back to him before she slipped the washcloth down his thighs.  
  
Frank was feeling more and more relaxed with the heat of the water and the long slow strokes of the washcloth over his body. The alcohol from the wine was also helping put him into a deeply relaxed state. He felt Keni's hands caressing him under the water, her fingers massaging his legs and elsewhere. Oddly, though, he couldn't feel himself react to her hands. That was the first clue something was wrong.  
  
"Keni." he whispered. His tongue felt thick and heavy.  
  
"Shhh Frank. Let the water do its job. Relax..." she purred in his ear as her fingers stroked his throat and neck. It broke her heart to know she was drugging him into oblivion, but it had to be done. She leaned over his shoulder and nibbled at his neck, listening keenly for his breathing pattern.  
  
"It's... not right... something... is."  
  
"Shhh Frank. Come on. I'll help you to the bed." she whispered softly in his ear. "Everything will be all right."  
  
**** 


	18. Trial By Fire

****  
  
Original Sin  
- Part Eighteen  
  
Disclaimer: See Part 1  
Rating: PG  
  
--  
  
Keni mentally cussed herself. What had she done... throwing hateful words at Frank and slowing down his investigation was one thing. Seducing him and making sure that he was out cold before she left him to go steal the jewels was something else. Keni wasn't sure if she'd ever forgive herself for doing it.  
  
As she tiptoed into the room, she knew that she had to be out of her fool mind to do this. However, she had left the pack with the jewels in it hiding within an exhibit in the museum. While it was brilliant at the time of being pursued, when she'd decided to leave, she had to do some quick thinking and stash the jewels. Now she had to go back and get them. To make things more complicated, Frank was on the case. THAT was a complication she didn't want to deal with at the moment. To keep him safe, she was going to have to break the law - AGAIN - elude him, possibly injure him. Nothing says "I Love You" like a fist to the jaw and a felony pursuit.  
  
Making it in was not the problem. It was too easy actually. By the time Keni was in the room itself where the jewels were originally displayed, she was feeling like an ant under the microscope on a sunny day. However, she bypassed the crown for later. Jewels first, then the crown.  
  
"Jake.." Alex whispered as she watched the black clad woman padding silently through the room.  
  
"I see her Alex. Keep watch and don't move in until we have her on more than a breaking and entering charge." Jake watched over the video feeds in the security center of the building. The body moved fluidly and easily between the exhibits of 17th Century armor and weaponry. The figure stopped before a suit of armor flanked by various swords, daggers, and a crossbow with bolts.  
  
"Alex..."  
  
"Right behind her." she whispered. Alex was about 10 feet behind her as she stood at the suit of armor.  
  
"Wait... she's not doing anything besides..." Jake stopped as she stepped up onto the platform and lifted the mask of the suit of armor's helm. "Smart girl, hid it in the suit of armor. Damn that's right where I would have hidden it. Move in Alex."  
  
Keni had her hand inside the helmet and was fishing for the jewels. She sighed in relief when her hand came to the pack they were stored in. Easing it out, she quickly tucked them into her pack...  
  
Only to feel a hand on her wrist. "Don't move."  
  
Keni sighed. Damn, Damn, DAMN! Alex had her red-handed. She stepped slowly backwards, her wrist still in her grip. The jewels were not completely secured.  
  
Jake watched calmly on the video monitors as Alex and Keni edged back from the suit of armor "Kennedi..." he whispered.  
  
Alex eased back, her grip still on the woman's slender wrist. She had yet to see her face in this whole thing, but she knew that it was Keni. Alex could also see that she was as taut as a bowstring, probably waiting for the right moment to fight her way out of this predicament. Carefully she eased her gun into its holster and pulled out her handcuffs. For a split second she took her hand off of her wrist to get a better grip. That's when she sprung.  
  
In a flash, Keni whirled around the second her grip eased on her wrist. She threw her elbow into her upper arm and drove her off balance. Edging a few feet from her, she secured the pack of jewels and got a better stance. But Alex was quick on the recovery and was on her again. For every punch and elbow she threw at Alex, she countered or dodged. Keni's main goal was to get away, not beat the woman unconscious. She didn't have time for this.  
  
Alex felt like she was wrestling with barbed wire as she tried to subdue Keni. She was pulling every punch she could try and landing over half of them. However, she used a dirty trick of her own and as Keni got around behind her with her neck in a chokehold, Alex pitched forward and jerked her off of her feet. Normally that sort of move would have blown her knees out.   
  
But Keni knew the trick and just lifted her feet when she felt Alex roll. Then she kicked, using the momentum and flipped over his head, letting go of the chokehold and landing with her trademark cat-like grace on both feet. She was about to stand up and spin kick at Alex's head when a boot planted in her rear-end sent her forward into a display case of weapons.  
  
Jake had watched with some amusement as Alex and Keni tried to get the upper hand over each other. But when Keni crashed into the glass case of swords and other weapons, Jake swore a blue streak and took off out of the room. If what Frank had told him about Kennedi was true, then he had to get to Alex before Keni got up.  
  
**** 


	19. Showdown

****  
  
Original Sin  
- Part Nineteen  
  
Disclaimer: See Part 1  
Rating: PG  
  
--  
  
Keni planted both hands on the ground and pushed up with a snarl. That really hurt. As she heard Alex coming up behind her slowly, her gray eyes fixed on the swept-hilt French rapier just a few inches from her hand. Boom baby...  
  
Jake tore through the hallways and rooms, trying to get through to Frank on the cell. Alex was in physical danger now that blades had come into the equation. Damn it why wasn't Frank answering his phone?!  
  
Alex watched as Keni got to her hands and knees amid the pile of shattered glass. She seemed to be moving slower than before. Maybe she got the idea that it was time to surrender. Cautiously Alex edged closer, off to Keni's left side and looked down.  
  
"Had enough Keni?"  
  
"Go to Hell Alex." she hissed and kicked out sharply with her left foot. She caught Alex in the upper thigh and sent her stumbling backwards. This allowed her enough time to grab the rapier and spin around en guarde.  
  
Alex looked up to see the tip of a sword leveled at her throat. Slowly her hands came up and her eyes widened in surprise. This was a new one on her to be sure.  
  
"I'm not a bad person, Alex. You just wouldn't leave me alone. You took everything so personally! You should have just shot me and let it go. Now I have to deal with this and you're going to suffer for it." As she talked, she circled around Alex, keeping her facing her at all times. As she did, Alex edged closer to the shattered display of other swords... Two could play this game.  
  
"I have just been pressed into a tight spot is all. Someday, when you have a husband and child you might understand." Her blended American/English accent was tired and irritated, like she'd prefer to be on her way as soon as possible.  
  
"This isn't going to be as easy as you think Keni. You're never going to get out of here." Alex's foot nudged the sword at her feet and she looked down quickly.  
  
Keni looked down and smiled. So, she thought she could match her at rapiers. She smiled and lowered the tip of the sword away from her with an incline of her head. This might be fun after all. Besides, she had the jewels stashed securely in her possession and it wouldn't take but a few minutes to render her unconscious...  
  
Alex reached down and picked up the matching basket hilt rapier to Keni's. A swordfight in the Museum. Wasn't there some hokey movie a while back that had the same thing? Alex didn't get time to answer her own question. Keni had shifted her position and launched onto the offensive.  
  
Silvered steel flashed in the dim lighting by the time Frank got around the corner. Keni and Alex were dodging in and out of displays and support pillars both with swords in hand. The echo of clashing steel echoed throughout the room as Keni succeeded in cornering Alex with no where to hide.  
  
She lined her up in a straight alley between cases and went on a flurry or attacks, jabs, lunges and parries. Alex tried to fend off as many of the blows as she could, but Keni just that much quicker. However, she did notice that she was merely smacking with the flat of the blade as opposed to cutting. More than once she'd feinted one direction, slid under Alex's reach and reappeared behind her. Finally Keni sidestepped and twisted, locking the hilts and yanking Alex onto the ground behind her.  
  
"Bonne exposition Agent Cross."*  
  
"Allez à l'enfer."*  
  
Keni smiled as Alex got up slowly. She was good, a little bit of practice and she might be up to her own level of play. But not now. Now she had to knock her out and get the fuck out of there. "Une autre heure peut-être..."* In a blur of steel, Keni spun Alex around and pushed her into the wall. The hollow sound of her forehead contacting the wall rewarded the effort and Alex slid down the wall unconscious.  
  
A noise caused her to spin around. There in the doorway to this particular room was Jake Shaw with his gun drawn. She looked at him a moment, he looked at her. As he lowered the muzzle of his gun, Keni heaved and flung the rapier across the room. The sword spun lethally towards the door where Jake stood before he dove out of the way. He landed and skidded across the floor, a soft 'thunk' echoing behind him. By the time Jake got to his feet and looked around, he found the rapier wobbling where it impaled itself into the wall a few inches, Alex still unconscious on the floor...   
  
And a missing Keni along with the jewels.  
  
--  
  
* Bonne exposition Agent Cross... = "Good show Agent Cross."  
* Allez à l'enfer = "Go to hell."  
* Une autre heure peut-être - "Another time perhaps..."  
  
**** 


	20. The Chase Begins

****  
  
Original Sin  
- Part Twenty  
  
Disclaimer: See Part 1  
Rating: PG  
  
--  
  
Donovan and the team were waiting at the hotel entrance. He'd contacted the Detroit police to assist with the soft capture of Kennedi. He was still having a hard time believing that she'd actually done it. All along Alex had been suspicious of her, but Frank had pushed it off blindly. He should have known better. He mentally beat himself up for not seeing it when it was right in front of him. What crystallized it all for him was waking up in a tub of ice cold water and an empty hotel room. When Frank answered the pounding on his room door, Jake and Alex both were there, Alex with a huge red knot on her forehead. He still couldn't believe that Kennedi had been the thief all along. But when Jake spied the empty gelatin capsule on the table near the cork for the wine bottle, Frank felt his face flush with anger. No wonder he had such a headache - the little bitch had drugged him last night...  
  
Then came the confusing news. She wasn't registered on any flights coming into or out of Detroit for the last week. If she wasn't on a flight, how did she get here to steal the jewels and how did she get back to Colorado? The only things that came to mind were false names and possibly a private jet. Her parents were wealthier than H. Ross Perot...  
  
"She is most likely unarmed. But that does not mean she is not dangerous. Kennedi Johnson is skilled and she's elusive. I want her pinned in, cornered and uninjured."  
  
Then there was the matter of this hotel room. The credit card information had this as on reserve since three days before the heist - under the name Kennedi J. Donovan. He shook his head slowly at the dawning of the truth. That's why Cody hadn't been able to track her on the flight manifests. Keni did't use a private plane - she used her married name. The realization made the already bitter taste in his mouth ten times moreso. If he could have gotten his hands around her neck right now, he'd have killed her with his bare hands.  
  
But, Frank choked the bile back and gave the go-ahead. With that, they all made their way through the lobby and into the elevators. Frank, Alex, and Jake held back just in case she made a 3 story leap out of the hotel window in her effort to escape. He knew that Keni would fight to the death to avoid capture. She'd told Alex that she'd done what she had because she thought it was best. But why did she think stealing and lying to him was for the best? There were so many questions he wanted answers to... and that brought him to last night. Was that real, or was it a game she'd orchestrated. Suddenly he had a bitter taste in his mouth at the thought of their shared passion last night. He realized that she'd used him all along last night. Right down to the offer of the wine.  
  
Kennedi, meanwhile, was packing her backpack and dressing. Her sixth sense was going off like gangbusters and she felt something was wrong. She had just gotten off the phone with the front desk and settling up her bill. While on the phone, she'd heard Donovan's voice say her name. Damn it, why couldn't he just leave her alone? Stuffing the last piece of clothing into the pack, she slung one strap over her shoulder and opened the hotel room door. If she was lucky enough she could get down the service elevators and slip past them all while they were on the way up to her room.  
  
Greeting her from about 10 feet away was 20 uniformed Detroit Metro police officers. Quickly she slammed the door and put every lock in its place. She wedged a chair under the handle to jam them up a bit. She was effectively trapped. The only way out, was of course, the window. She ran over, sliding the other sack strap over her shoulder and snugging them down tight so that if she did have to jump, she wouldn't lose it. The jewels were in there and she needed that desperately.  
  
Desperate had come into her vocabulary only recently and it wasn't a word she liked one bit. But she was between a rock and a hard place. When the pounding on her door started, she whipped a look around. This indeed called for desperate action. If the only way out was the window, then by god she'd go out the window. Frank's life depended on it.  
  
"Kennedi Johnson!! This is the Detroit Police! Open the door and surrender yourself quietly!!"  
  
She picked up the chair and swung it at the window. The double paned glass cracked. Again she swung it, the crack spreading further.   
  
Down below, Alex heard something thumping and looked up. "Frank... look." She pointed up at the window that was on the third floor. "You were right, she's gonna go out the window."  
  
Frank didn't want to be right. He'd half hoped she'd surrender peacefully. But that wasn't her style at all. Looking back with what he knew now... he knew that she'd run and fight to the death. He just hoped and prayed that this jump wouldn't kill her and she'd get the chance to run. She was magnificent when she ran...  
  
Drawing a deep breath, Kennedi swung the chair again, the legs splintering as she made a small break in the glass. Over and over she pounded on the glass until a hole the size of a basketball opened up. It wasn't enough, so she grabbed the other chair up.  
  
At that time, the police started beating on the door with a battering ram. The chair was shaking and the door itself was cracking. Again they hit the door, the thick wood buckling. "Kennedi Johnson! This is your last warning!!" a voice shouted.  
  
She was out of time and the small hole would have to do. Kennedi backed up to a few feet in front of the door and looked at the window. 'Don't think, just do it. Fast and quick, shoulders first, the awning down below will break the fall... say a prayer.' She looked back at the door, then took off, arms and legs pumping hard even as they finally broke the door down. One of the officers fired a warning shot over her head, the shot shattering the already broken glass.  
  
She hit the glass hard, shoulder first. Glass rained down onto the sidewalk below in deadly shards. The officers pushed past the door and filled the room as she hit the glass. Frank, Alex, and Jake took cover to avoid the falling daggers of glass. Kennedi hit the awning, the frame under it giving and bending before springing back and throwing her off like a bucking bronco horse. She was half prepared for that and tucked into a roll. Landing with a thud and rolling to her hands and feet, she flicked a long silky lock of hair out of her eyes as Frank and his team started towards her.  
  
She winked at Frank and then took off running.  
  
"Kennedi! Don't make me chase you down... I have a strict rule about chasing people! The longer I chase you, the worse it goes on you!" She ignored him and rounded the corner.  
  
"Shit" was all he could say as he launched into a dead run and kept himself about 30 feet behind her.   
  
**** 


	21. How You Remind Me

A/N - Don't let go just yet Ladies!!! There's 11 more chapters to go after this one!  
  
Sandra - they do get their happiness, I promise it!!  
Nicky - ouw, yeah, he's gonna be less than amused. But just remember that no matter what, he loves her.  
  
Thank you guys for the reviews!!  
  
****  
  
Original Sin  
- Part Twenty One  
  
Disclaimer: See Part 1  
Rating: PG  
  
--  
  
Kennedi had an advantage over him. She was lighter, had more experience running in crowds for elusive purposes. Alex was pacing him, head injury not withstanding and Jake was not too far behind him. Kennedi ducked into a crowded rail station.  
  
"DON'T let her get onto a train!" Donovan shouted as they hit the doors. The police had managed to get there as well and were spreading out. But finding her in all the press of people was going to be difficult at best. Kennedi ducked into an alcove near the bathrooms to catch her breath. She watched the uniforms pass by, trying to be cool and not scare the passengers. She looked around, looking for an out. The PA system overhead was blaring out some rock band.  
  
While she was looking, Alex spotted her. "Kennedi!" she shouted and took off towards her. Kennedi startled and took off running for the stairs. A pair of hands grabbed her rucksack and slowed her down. She spun, a hefty right hook landing across the officer's nose and breaking it. He instantly let go of her and she took off running again. This was going to be bad for her. Sprinting up the stairs two at a time, the pack bouncing lightly on her back, she didn't have time to look back and see if anyone was gaining on her. There was a bridge that led over the rails to the other side of the station.  
  
Frank had seen her break the officer's nose and take off up the stairs. He didn't want to fire a shot in here and risk hitting a bystander. But if she kept putting people into the hospital, he might just have to do that. "Damn it Kennedi" he muttered under his breath and took off for another bridge just down from where she was. If he was lucky, he could catch her on the other side and end this rat chase.  
  
She skidded to a stop in the middle of the bridge. Alex was in front of her on the other side of the bridge, gun drawn. Someone screamed and the crowd parted for Alex. Kennedi whipped around, her black hair swinging across her face for a moment as she prepared to run back the way she came. However, Jake scrambled up onto the landing. Keni skidded to a stop and took a brief appraisal to the situation. Alex had a draw on her, Donovan on the next bridge over had a draw on her, and Jake had a draw on her. She was trapped.  
  
But lady luck was smiling on Kennedi. Alex shouted at her to get down onto the floor and put her hands behind her head. The music still blaring was making it hard for Alex to get her voice across. The whistle of an oncoming train drowned part of that noise out. The music drew into a lull and the train coming started speeding down the rail. It wasn't stopping here; maybe there was a chance...  
  
'Never made it as a wise man...' the music purred overhead. 'Couldn't cut it as a poor man stealing...'  
  
Kennedi turned and looked at Donovan. She was panting slightly, her eyes intense. 'And this is how you remind me...' He was begging her with his eyes to not jump and to just surrender. Kennedi closed her eyes slowly as if debating what to do.   
  
Alex clicked back the hammer on her weapon. 'This is how you remind me...' "Kennedi I'm not going to tell you again!" Alex shouted over the train. Keni's gray eyes opened again, just as slowly...  
  
'This is how you remind me of what I really am...' Kennedi winked. Frank's eyes widened as he realized that she was going to jump after all.   
  
'This is how you remind me of what I really am....' She turned and sprinted two long strides towards the edge of the bridge. Alex was too shocked to actually fire and instead ran after her.   
  
'It's not like you, to say sorry, I was waiting on a different story...' By now, the overhead music was screaming as if to compete with the noise of the train.  
  
Kennedi got one foot up onto the ledge, 'This time I'm mistaken,' then her other foot up onto the railing and leapt off, bringing her knees up in mid-air. She spotted her landing, getting her feet under her to help ease the impact. 'for handing you a heart worth breaking!' Kennedi hit the roof sideways with a soft thud, her body pitching to the side with the momentum and causing her to roll over... 'And I've been wrong,' As she rolled, Kennedi reached for something, anything to catch hold of. 'I've been down into the bottom of every bottle...' However, Lady Luck had been fickle. Keni flipped over and over again, sliding past the edge of the roof of the train and right over the safety railing of the train.   
  
Donovan screamed, the sound lost in the train ruckus. He gripped the edge of the railing and launched himself over, landing with a thud onto the roof and flattening out.  
  
'These five words in my head scream are we having fun yet...?'  
  
**** 


	22. Train Ride

****  
  
Original Sin  
- Part Twenty Two  
  
Disclaimer: See Part 1  
Rating: PG  
  
--  
  
Kennedi had managed to grab the safety railing on the roof. As the train sped out of the station, she was dangling along the side, her knuckles white with strain. This wasn't what she'd bargained for. Facing down Frank was one thing, lifting the jewels under his nose was something else... jumping out of hotel windows and onto speeding trains was a whole other matter entirely. She didn't hear him jumping onto the train either. As the train hit a joint in the tracks, she lost her grip. Now dangling by one hand, Kennedi thought seriously about what might happen. Was she ready to die? Out of nowhere, a hand grasped her by the wrist. She looked up to see Donovan leaning over the edge and gripping her wrist in a vice-like grip.   
  
"Give me your other hand, Keni." With little choice, she swung her hand up, then one foot as he hauled her up. When she got a good foothold, she crawled the rest of the way up onto the roof. The train was purring around a curve and heading towards the Lake Michigan by the time she finally got back onto the roof. For a few moments she rested against him, her head on his chest with his arms wrapped tightly around her. Once again Frank was there to save her life...   
  
"Kennedi" Frank whispered. She pushed back and started to stand up, but the train hit another joint in the track and she lost her balance. Frank caught her, but lost his balance and fell backwards so that she lay on top of him, the city screaming by at blurring speed. "What the hell are you doing?! You should know better than to run from me!" His arms were wrapped around her and she wasn't pushing away.  
  
"I didn't have a choice, Frank. I have to." Her voice was quiet, almost too quiet. She sounded defeated. She'd spent the last week planning and conniving behind Frank's back and now... she was tired, she was lonely, and she still loved him despite everything. Keni always had loved him. It wasn't lack of love that made her leave; it was because she loved him that she did. She couldn't bear for him to be hurt by her past. Right now, all she wanted was for the train to keep speeding along and for the world to fade away. So tired...  
  
"There is always a choice Kennedi. Just come with me. I can help you!"  
  
She lowered her head for the faintest of kisses across his lips. "I'm sorry Frank. I should have told you. But I can't go with you..." The lake was closing in on them. If she was going to do this, she was going to have to have split second timing. She pushed up out of his arms and stood, watching the water inch closer and closer.  
  
"I can't let you go Keni. You have to come with me." He was getting to his knees. He also had his gun drawn and in hand. A fact which she noticed all too well.  
  
"What are you going to do Frank? Shoot me?" the train closed in on the bridge.  
  
"If I have to, I will. Please Keni, don't make me shoot you!"  
  
"You won't. I know you too well Frank. You could never hurt me."  
  
Frank sighed and lowered his gun. She was right and he knew it. He'd tried to bluff her into surrendering and she'd called his bluff.  
  
"I love you Frank, but there are things here you do not understand," she said as she turned.  
  
As Frank lunged at her, she dove off into the river. He could only watch as she splashed down... and hope she lived through the icy January weather and freezing temperatures of the water.  
  
'This is how you remind me of what I really am...   
'This is how you remind me of what I really am...'   
  
**** 


	23. The Hunt Begins

****  
  
Original Sin  
- Part Twenty Three  
  
Disclaimer: See Part 1  
Rating: PG  
  
--  
  
"Cody, get a fix on all the flights out of Detroit. I want to know where she's going. I have a feeling it'll be an international destination, but don't leave out domestic connections. Look for both Kennedi Johnson and Keni Johnson... Also... look," he sighed and turned away from Alex and Jake. "Look for Kennedi Donovan. Don't ask, just do it."  
  
Cody rolled his eyes. "You got it. Kennedi Donovan. I don't think I want to know." When would Frank realize that Cody wasn't as dense as he thought he was? But he just gave an "OK" into the headset and started typing away on his remote system. Meanwhile at the airport, Donovan grabbed a cup of hot coffee to warm him up. During the long ride on top of the train until it's next stop in Alexandria, Virginia, he'd had only his overcoat to keep him moderately warm. If he was this chilled after a windy ride, he could only imagine what Keni was feeling like after an icy lake swim in next to nothing. He kept seeing her dive off, a streak of black heading face first into the even blacker waters of the lake. She was wearing only a pair of black pants, tennis shoes, and what looked like a green bodysuit or swimsuit on underneath a lighter weight polarfleece jacket. He was worried about her. Despite everything else, he still loved her. What had she gotten roped into doing? She'd said she didn't have a choice. What had happened to make her do this?  
  
"Damn she's fast." Cody spun around in his chair and hit the button to open up communications to Frank, Alex and Jake. "She's checked in her boarding pass."  
  
"Destination?"  
  
"Mexico."   
  
Frank blinked, the cup of coffee halfway to his lips. "But that makes no sense. She's got no reason to go to Mexico. We have an extradition treaty with them."  
  
Alex and Jake were exchanging looks. They both had seen him yell in alarm when she jumped onto the train, they both had seen the look he gave her that begged her to surrender. They knew that he was holding out on them... again.  
  
"Boss."  
  
He ignored Alex.  
  
"Something doesn't jive. Why would she be on a flight to Mexico? What flight and what gate?"  
  
"Gate 3, flight number 525 to Mexico City. If you hurry, you can catch it in 10 minutes before it pulls out of the gate."  
  
All three of them took off running. Cody had called ahead and had them hold the plane. Frank spoke with the captain and got his permission to sweep the passengers. After 15 minutes and three sweeps, including the lavatories and the galleys, all three of them were frustrated.  
  
"She's on the manifest, she's checked in. But she's not here, her seat is empty." Jake was thinking...  
  
"Hey Boss." He finally said.  
  
"Yes Jake?"  
  
"What if she wasn't really on the flight?"  
  
"What do you mean Jake?"  
  
"She's good, had all of us fooled from the beginning. Stands to reason she'd have had a double here to throw us off. Where else would she go?"  
  
"Already on it," came Cody's voice over their earpieces.  
  
"Tempus fugit, Cody." Alex pressed.  
  
"Don't rush me... Like Beethoven on the piano, I have labored and come up with... Ontario, Canada. She's got property in Ontario."  
  
"But how the hell is she going to get there?"  
  
"Ferry most likely. Unless she can surface close to the banks of the lake and get onto a train. I highly doubt she'll swim the lake. Damned fool would freeze to death." Alex rolled her eyes. Kennedi would do it just to spite them all.  
  
Donovan turned to Alex and Jake. "Hope you two have bags packed. Looks like we're going to Canada... with a side trip to Colorado."  
  
**** 


	24. Of Sins and Saving Graces...

****  
  
Original Sin  
- Part Twenty Four  
  
Disclaimer: See Part 1  
Rating: PG  
  
--  
  
Kennedi was curled up in the floor of the ferry near the heater as it chugged its way across the lake towards Canada. Her knees were drawn up to her chin and she had several blankets wrapped around her. She was still chilled and shaking badly despite having those blankets wrapping her. Sweet mercy what was she thinking when she dove off the train into the lake? The attendant took pity on her and kept the hot coffee coming for her and brought her extra blankets. Even her hair was still wet. She'd not been able to take off her boots and let them to air dry. If she lived through this horrendous cold, she'd probably develop pneumonia.  
  
Looking at her watch briefly, Kennedi decided it was time to call Aaron. Quietly she pulled herself up and made her way towards the attendant. She borrowed his cell phone and dialed home.  
  
"Aaron, it's me. I need you to do something for me. I'm on my way to Canada."  
  
"Are you alright? What happened? I can hear your teeth chattering!"  
  
"I had to go for a swim in Lake Michigan. Damn it if Frank wasn't right behind me. Look, he might be coming up to see you."  
  
"Frank. All right then. I'll have the house prepared for him. I suspect he'll want to search the house? Are you sure you're all right Keni?"  
  
One of the other passengers gave her a suspicious look. To which Kennedi flipped her off and ignored her.  
  
"Yes, I'm fine. Listen, stall him as long as you can. I'm going to end this bullshit once and for all."  
  
"Kennedi Johnson Donovan don't you do anything stupid that will get you killed!"  
  
"Too late Aaron. I can't do this anymore. I want this game over with and the sooner I can get out from this man's blackmail, the better. I'm too tired to play hide and seek anymore. Frank knows most of the truth and-"  
  
"You didn't tell him about his son, did you." it wasn't a question.  
  
"No. I didn't. I couldn't. At the time, I hadn't even told him about my past before we married. He found out the hard way."  
  
"Oh dear. Kennedi, please... take care of yourself. Wait at your home in Ontario for Frank. He can help you."  
  
"After what I did to him, it will probably be a cold day in hell before he helps me... or even forgives me. Goodbye Aaron."  
  
She hung up the phone, a tear sliding down her cheek. Keni looked out the window as the chilly gray waters of Lake Michigan floated by under them. She wondered what Frank was up to, and just how far he'd track her down. She had to get this done before he stopped her. Her own life was forfeit... just so long as Frank and Cisco were untouched.  
  
**** 


	25. An Unfolding Truth.

****  
  
Original Sin  
- Part Twenty Five  
  
Disclaimer: See Part 1  
Rating: PG  
  
--  
  
The snow on the ground gave the predawn darkness a deceptive light. It was just after 4 am and Frank, Alex, and Jake were on their way towards the manor that sat on the hill amid a skeletal forest.  
  
"Damn. Think she's got some money?" Alex murmured.  
  
Frank half-smiled. From what Cody had dug up on Kennedi while they were in flight, she had more money than God. It was amazing that there were still things about his estranged wife that he did not know. Her parents lived in London, that he knew. But he never had an idea that she was that wealthy in her own right. Thinking back, he should have seen it the day he came to visit her here.  
  
"I want that house." was all Jake said before he leaned up from the back seat and stuck his head between Alex and Frank. "Hey, you drive like you've been here before."  
  
Frank never took his eyes off the plowed road ahead of them as he reached over, put his hand on Jake's forehead and pushed him into the back seat like one does to a puppy that's hampering their driving. Jake and Alex exchanged looks again. Sooner or later they'd get the entire story out of Donovan about his relationship with Kennedi "Keni" Johnson. "I have Jake. Remember that I came to ask her for her help on this case?"  
  
"Oh. Yeah.. forgot about that."  
  
The manor house loomed up on the hill. After what seemed an endless flight and over an hour of driving, they finally pulled to a stop. Donovan knocked on the door and looked around. The entire home seemed dead inside, like something was missing. In his mind the stillness wasn't because it was predawn... it was that Kennedi wasn't here. Where was she? Did she survive the dive into the water? Was she safe in Ontario Canada by now?  
  
The door opened, a sleepy partially bald man peering out. "Hullo?"  
  
Donovan blinked. "Aaron... Good God man, it's Frank, let me in!"   
  
The door opened fully after a few seconds. The man, even though it was still early, was dressed nicely. He smiled brightly and motioned for them all to come in.  
  
"Mr. Donovan! Come in, come in and get out of that cold before you and your friends freeze to death!" He had a crisp British accent that seemed to be lighter now that someone he knew was here.  
  
And he obviously knew Donovan enough to not bat an eyelash at letting him in. Jake and Alex looked at each other again behind Frank's back. They all stepped into the warm entry of the manor directly opposite a grand staircase. Both Alex and Jake felt like ants in this room. Aaron asked them to follow him, leading them into the kitchen and breakfast room, which was bigger than either of their apartments.  
  
"Wonder if she's got a mausoleum under here." Jake whispered to Alex. Donovan heard, but only chuckled slightly. The first time he saw this place, he was overwhelmed too. He looked back at them and gave them a nod. At that, the two of them spread out through out the manor.   
  
"I thank God that you're here Mr. Donovan. It's been so hard knowing that Miss Johnson's been pinched into a tight spot. Are you going to help her out?"  
  
"I would like to, but I have to catch her first. She managed to elude us in Detroit."  
  
Aaron's forehead wrinkled in confusion. He hated lying to this man when he knew that Frank could help Kennedi. "She didn't come to seek your help?"  
  
"No. In fact, she played me and my team for fools. What is it that I should know Aaron?" His dark eyes peered intently at the elder man.  
  
Aaron swallowed. "Kennedi's being blackmailed into doing this. She received a letter some weeks ago that asked for her assistance in exchange for... for the safety of her son. You and I both know Kennedi would rather die herself than let a child of hers come to harm. What choice did she have?"  
  
Frank was in shock. She had a child, a son? Inside, deep down, he felt a pang of jealousy against the man who she chose to be the father. There was a time when he would have given anything to be that man... he might still once all this mess was sorted out.  
  
Outside of the kitchen, Alex had wandered upstairs and into what looked like Kennedi's room. It was spacious, the king-sized bed taking center stage. "Must be nice," she said to herself, "to have so much money. This woman's bedroom is bigger than my apartment." Her eyes were drawn to the one wall where it looked like she had a photo collection. Every one of them was someone different and in different locations. "Wow, she knows a lot of people... holy shit." She'd found a photograph of Frank and Kennedi in what looked like a park. Next to it was another photograph, taken at dusk where the two of them were kissing. She in a gown of white and Frank in a black tuxedo. Alex reached up and removed the first framed photo from the park off of the wall. She studied it. It looked to be at least 7 years ago possibly... and both looked to be tremendously happy. Sure, she'd seen Frank smile, but not this way, not that special smile. "OK Boss. You got some explaining to do." And she headed back downstairs to the kitchen. As she turned, she saw on the night table a picture of Kennedi cuddling a little boy on her lap who looked to be about 3 or 4 years old. Crossing over, she picked it up. This could be useful...  
  
Jake, however, had found the boy's room. Things were reasonably clean, but he could see that the room belonged to a young boy. What puzzled him was that the room was cold - as if no one lived here in some time. "Hey Alex!! Come look at this!" He shouted. As he looked around, Alex came wandering in. She held out the photo of Kennedi and Frank in the costume of Bride and Groom for Jake to see.  
  
"Take a look at this."  
  
Jake blinked. "Damn, man's got more secrets than anyone else I know of. But this room.. Doesn't it look like a kid's room? This is a neat room... I wanted a room like this when I was growing up. Question is, where is the kid?"  
  
"Well, you didn't have Mommy Warbucks growing up. I think we need to go tell Frank about this and get him to 'fess up to this photo."   
  
Jake nodded and followed her. When they hit the first landing, they both heard footsteps coming out of the kitchen. They turned to see Donovan and the butler standing at the foot of the stairs. Jake stood back as Alex slowly walked down the stairs, both pictures in her hand. The look on her face made the butler look away and step back a bit, but Frank just gave her the same look back.  
  
"We need to talk." She said quietly as she pushed the photo of him and Kennedi into his hands.  
  
"You can use Kennedi's private office. I'll show you." With that, Aaron headed up the stairs and led them to the office.  
  
"Can you bring us some coffee, please Aaron?" Donovan said.  
  
The butler nodded with a weary smile and closed the door.  
  
**** 


	26. Sweet Child O'Mine...

A/N - This is it!!! The chapter ya'll have been waiting for! Frank finds out about Keni's little secret! ~giggle~  
  
Enjoy!!  
  
****  
  
Original Sin  
- Part Twenty Six  
  
Disclaimer: See Part 1  
Rating: PG  
  
--  
  
Alex looked at Frank. Jake looked at Frank. Frank sat down behind Kennedi's desk without looking at either of them. His eyes were fixed on the framed photograph that had been taken in Tacoma, Washington 8 years ago. He'd been sent in undercover to bust the theft ring that had been heisting jewels all over Washington State and parts of Canada. Making it in wasn't that difficult, they were looking for a new driver and he fit the part. The trouble came in defining who the ringleader was. Trouble also came when he met Kennedi Johnson, the girlfriend of one of the thieves. He had no idea just how rough life was going to be from then on. Frank leaned forward, arms folded across the desk as he looked at her reading glasses lying on the desk.  
  
He proceeded to tell them the rest of the story. How they'd tried to keep it quiet, how eventually he told her that he was an undercover agent. She never turned him over; she kept her mouth shut and protected him the best that she could. When the bust was made, Frank did everything he could to make sure that she got out of the charges.  
  
"Once upon a time, Keni was a kind hearted woman. She had the opportunity to blow my cover and didn't. I suppose I was grateful to her for it. The only regret I have about that bust is not catching the leader of the ring himself. Other than that, my life from then on was nothing I'd change.   
  
"We married in California where she'd been relocated. Kennedi refused to take the Witness Protection Program and my superiors were absolutely furious with me for not arresting her. But when I told them that I had asked her to marry me, they had little choice in the matter. They all reconciled themselves to the fact that who better to watch over a criminal than her FBI Agent husband?"  
  
He sat back in the chair and looked at Alex and Jake as he talked. Alex blinked, then looked down at the picture of the boy with Kennedi as he talked. Aaron had come in during that time, the silver tray of coffee service in hand. Setting it down on the edge of the desk, he proceeded to pour coffee into generously size mugs instead of the usual cups.  
  
"I, unfortunately, tried to protect her more than she cared for. I had moved into the HNR units and all the horrible things I'd seen happen, I didn't want to happen to her."  
  
"So why did you two separate? I mean, you two did divorce, right?" Jake reached for a mug and sipped it. Alex kept at the back of the room and watched Frank intently... a little too intently.  
  
"No, we never divorced. She up and left me for no reason. I left for an assignment, much to Keni's unhappiness, and came back to an empty house and a red rose on my pillow. No note, nothing."  
  
"Mr. Donovan... she had a reason."  
  
Frank and Jake looked at Aaron, who inched back.  
  
"You would do better to hear it from her lips, however. It is not my place to divulge that information." Aaron smiled slightly. Once Frank got his hands onto Kennedi, then he'd have the seed planted for even more answers to all his questions. And Kennedi would have no way to deny the questions any more.  
  
"Tell me."  
  
"I cannot, Mr. Donovan. But suffice it to say that there is more here than you know. And perhaps separation isn't what is needed. Good day."  
  
After Aaron left, Alex looked at the picture of Kennedi cuddling the boy again. There was something familiar... She got up and walked around the office as Frank talked. She passed by artifacts from all over the world, the mug in one hand, and the picture in the other. Jake watched her, then looked at Frank. This was a side of his Boss he hadn't seen to date. He wasn't sure if he really did want to see it to be honest. Jake preferred to think of Frank Donovan as nonhuman at times.  
  
"So that was it? You loved her enough to marry her, but when she splits without a clue, you don't track her down?"  
  
"I had no choice. I couldn't exactly hunt her down. And it's not like I didn't know where she was. I DO work for the Justice Department, remember? I've known that she's lived here in this manor for the last 4 years after spending just short of a year in London with her parents." Alex looked down at the photo in her hand again, then looked up at Frank. She did this once more, then walked over.  
  
"You should have hunted her down sooner." she dropped the photo of Kennedi and the boy onto the desk in front of Frank.  
  
Jake got up and came around to look. Frank looked down at it. Jake whistled and looked up at Alex, who nodded. "The room that Jake and I found next to Kennedi's. It's his. I found this photo next to her bed in the same room I found your wedding picture."  
  
Frank looked up. Alex said everything like it was supposed to mean something that he didn't know already. Aaron said that she had a son, but Alex and Jake weren't in the room.  
  
"You don't get it, do you Frank?" she whispered. "Look at the boy..." she came around the desk and leaned over close to his ear. "The boy looks just like you, he even has your mouth. Kennedi's son is your son."  
  
Donvan's heart clenched in his chest as he looked at the picture of Kennedi cuddling the boy. He saw Kennedi's features in the boy... and he saw shades of himself. He got up, picture in hand and stormed downstairs, stomach dropping like a rock. He stalked into the kitchen like he was about to murder someone. Alex and Jake were close on his heels.  
  
Aaron took one look at him and stepped back. This was the first time that the elder man had ever been frightened... and he knew why Frank was upset. Frank just looked at him, and dropped the picture onto the kitchen counter. Aaron looked at it, then up at the younger man whom he'd grown fond of... and nodded.  
  
"Yes, Sir. Young Master Cisco is your son."  
  
"Cisco?"  
  
"Donovan Francisco Johnson. She named him after you."  
  
Frank couldn't breath. He had a son? His knuckles were turning white where he had a grip on the edge of the counter to keep upright. He put his head down and focused on breathing before he passed out. He felt a light hand on his shoulder and looked up to see Alex. After a few more minutes of controlled breathing, he stood up straight.  
  
"Alright..." He looked around, rubbing a hand over his face. "Alright. Jake, Alex. It's time we found out just where Kennedi is hiding."  
  
**** 


	27. The Fifth Sin

****  
  
Original Sin  
- Part Twenty Seven  
  
Disclaimer: See Part 1  
Rating: PG  
  
--  
  
Kennedi stood before the man who'd been blackmailing her. The small pack of jewels lay open on the desk between them. "It's over Ron. I'm through."  
  
"No, you're not. You still haven't gotten the crown for me."  
  
"Get it you're own damned self. I'm done doing your dirty work for you."  
  
"Don't make me resort to strong arm tactics, KeJo. I know you're still fond of that Fed."  
  
"And you're just pissed off that he busted the ring."  
  
"Your ring, KeJo. YOUR RING. You were the leader he was after all along and he never knew it. You were right under his nose and what did the idiot do? He fell in love with his target. What an idiot."  
  
Kennedi flew over the desk and grabbed the beady-eyed little man up by his collar. As she did, papers and other items on the desk went flying. "You... will not speak of Frank Donovan that way ever again. I hear so much as one whisper that you've gone near him so help me God I'll kill you myself." Her eyes were snapping in flinty sparks and she knew that Ron knew he'd crossed the line. You could only push Keni so far before she snapped.  
  
However, Ron's hand curled around her wrists slowly and pulled her hands off of his collar. He wasn't about to let it be known that he was frightened. "Oh stow it KeJo! You even try to blackmail me and I'll tell your precious Fed that you were the ringleader he was after!"  
  
"Go right ahead Ron. I don't care anymore. I'm done, retired. No more jewel heists for me. I'm past caring if the world knows. Frank already knows I'm a jewel thief. What's one more sin against me? It's over Ron."  
  
She turned around and walked out, leaving a fuming and red-faced Ron behind with the four jewels on his desk.  
  
--  
  
All five of them landed at the Ontario airport and headed straight into the waiting taxis. After Frank had gotten the address out of Aaron where her property was in Ontario, he'd called Monica and Cody in Detroit and had them meet him, Jake and Alex in Ontario.  
  
"You sure she'll be here?"  
  
"Yes Monica. She called Aaron from a ferryboat while we were on the way up from the airport. She told him that she was on her way to Canada. Aaron also told me that she did what she did due to blackmail. What this person was blackmailing her with he wouldn't tell me, told me that it was all between me and her."  
  
"I still can't believe that you and she are married. Why didn't you tell us before?"  
  
"It was none of your business at the time. You were suspicious enough of Keni in the beginning and that would have only added to it. She had us all fooled Monica... even me. Not until I saw the video tapes did I actually believe it."  
  
"Don't beat yourself up Frank. I'm sure she had her reasons. Just wait until you talk to her and find out what they are. Maybe things will seem better when you talk to her."  
  
"Yeah. Maybe Monica. If we can find her. She's got a few days head start."  
  
They arrived at Keni's residence an hour later. The home was just outside of the city. A snow-covered lawn and an empty driveway surrounded the two-story townhouse. A driveway that had fresh tire tracks in the snow blanketing it.  
  
"It looks like she just left."  
  
"Maybe. Maybe not. She might also have someone else driving her car and she's inside." Frank sprang out of the taxi before it came to a complete stop and ran to the door. Somewhere deep inside he still held a wick of hope that she'd waited for him to show up. The cold reality that she hadn't hit him hard when he kicked open the door to find a dark and cold house. Alex, Jake, Monica and Cody were right behind him.  
  
"She's gone again."  
  
"Think she's just gone to the market?" Alex looked over his shoulder as Jake and Monica spread out through the rooms.  
  
"No. She's gone Alex. Take a look around. The house is cold, the furniture is covered."  
  
"Hey Frank!"  
  
"What is it Jake?"  
  
"Come look at this. I think Kennedi left something for you up here in her office."  
  
Frank took the stairs two at a time and whipped around the corner. Alex was right behind him as he drew to a stop in front of her desk. There, lying on top of a freshly written and wax sealed letter was a full red rose in bloom. Carefully he picked it up and held it to his nose. His eyes closed a moment as he took in the scent. She hadn't been gone long, if he hurried he still might be able to catch her at the airport. In fact, they'd probably passed on the highway.  
  
"What's the letter say Frank?" Cody peeked over Frank's shoulder at the cream colored envelope sealed with a blob of still warm red wax pressed with the rose and "K" seal.  
  
**** 


	28. Checkmate

****  
  
Original Sin  
- Part Twenty Eight  
  
Disclaimer: See Part 1  
Rating: PG  
  
--  
  
Frank split the seal and read the letter. As he did, a small square of paper fell to the ground.  
  
"My Darling Husband," Frank paused and looked around. He felt like a complete idiot for reading that out loud...  
  
"If you're reading this, then Aaron has told you where to find me. I know this is the worst way to do this, but you know I cannot go with you. There is more going on than you realize. I'm sure Aaron has also told you that I was forced into lifting the jewels. I did it out of love and fear. But not for the reasons you think. Perhaps someday I'll have the courage to face you and tell you why. Just believe me when I tell you that it's over. KeJo will never steal another jewel. I love you."  
  
"How sad." Monica sighed.  
  
"How just like her." Alex grumbled.  
  
"There's more. Look!" Cody picked up the piece of paper that fallen to the floor. On it were four colored spots - red, blue, green and a black circle. It also contained an address with the name "Ron Granger".  
  
Frank looked it over for a moment, then looked back at the letter. The gears were working in his brain and everyone could see a ticker tape of thoughts running across his forehead. "Let's go."  
  
"Uh, where?"  
  
"To visit and arrest Ron Granger. He's got the jewels."  
  
"And we know this how?"  
  
"Kennedi just told us." He held up the note with the spots. "Ruby, Sapphire, Emerald and Diamond. Ron Granger is the man who's blackmailing her and this is his address. Ron Granger was one of the few people in the jewel theft ring we never could implicate. He was a fence for the leader."  
  
"And you know this how?"  
  
"Because only the leader would know where to find him... And KeJo was the head of the ring."  
  
"Huh?"  
  
As Frank got back into the cab with Alex, he explained. "Remember when we were at Keni's home in Colorado and I told you that the one regret I had about that bust was not catching the head of the ring?" At Alex's nod he continued. "All of our information led us to believe it was a man who was the leader. A man by the name Kee Jo. We, for whatever reason, were looking at an Asian man that had been arrested with priors on theft. However, he turned up dead the day before the ring was busted... How incredibly stupid I was not to have seen it before now. In her letter she said that 'KeJo will never steal another jewel'. She called herself KeJo. All along we've been hunting down this leader... and all along I've been married to her."  
  
"So, what now?"  
  
"Now, we let Keni go wherever she is headed to."  
  
"But, don't you think we should arrest her for grand theft larceny?"  
  
"Ahh Alex, pay attention. She timed it just right so that by the time I found the letter and the address, then she'd be on her way. I can't go to two places at once and she knows that I'd rather catch the man with the jewels in hand than a ghost of a leader with no verifiable proof. She played us all, even Ron Granger."  
  
"Damn" she sighed.  
  
Frank looked over at her as the city of Ontario whizzed by. "Damn?"  
  
"Yeah. I think I'm beginning to like this woman."  
  
**** 


	29. Quarry Cornered

****  
  
Original Sin  
- Part Twenty Nine  
  
Disclaimer: See Part 1  
Rating: PG  
  
--  
  
London, England  
1 Year Later - February  
  
Kennedi sat by the window in the rocker, slowly rocking back and forth. It was February and a light snow had blown into the city out of nowhere. A year had gone by since she left Frank and the jewels behind. For a few weeks she kept up with the news through Aaron. He told her that Frank and his team had arrested Granger, returned the jewels, and then flew back to Colorado to pump Aaron for information on Kennedi's whereabouts.  
  
She sighed and looked towards one of the sets of doors leading out of the spacious room. So many doors, so many paths in life. And each one held a surprise...  
  
"Keni dear..."  
  
"Yes Mum?  
  
"Are you alright? You've done nothing but sit and stare out of the window since the snow began." Ellen pulled her daughter up and guided her out of her bedroom and down the hallway towards the library  
  
"I know. I just can't help but miss him." Keni sighed and twisted the rings around her finger. She'd taken them off and looped them around a chain to wear as a necklace while she was separated from him. But ever since she'd arrived in London, she'd felt a sense of comfort in wearing his engagement and wedding rings.  
  
"He never signed the divorce papers?"  
  
"I never pushed him. I only brought them up to push him away from me in the beginning. Mum I never wanted a divorce from him."  
  
"Aha. Well lambkin, all will work out. You know that. I'm just glad you're here with your father and I."  
  
"Is Dads putting them down?"  
  
"He is. Cisco is still awake though. He's stubborn, like his mother." Ellen Johnson put her hand on her daughter's shoulder as she stood behind her, watching the snow fall outside the second floor library.  
  
Keni snorted and covered her mother's hand with her own. "Try his father. The man is as stubborn as a mule."  
  
The sounds of the room fell silent for a few moments as the bond between mother and daughter took over. Ellen knew better than to press her daughter for more than she was ready to give. Ever since she'd allowed her daughter to go to the States, it'd been one ordeal after another. But then she arrived at the London manor, scared to death. Over the year, she grew in her pregnancy. Just a month before she was due, she left for the States again. She'd said that she wanted to find Frank. However, a few months later she showed up at the Riviera summerhouse with a little infant in her arms 5 years ago and asked them to watch over the child... Ellen never pressed for why then either. Ellen and Richard Johnson took in their grandson and raised him, his mother occasionally visiting from the States and calling him three times a week to talk to him. Keni'd had it hard since she'd fallen in with the wrong sort in her college years. But that was over now. She was back where she belonged.  
  
The hurried footsteps coming down the hallway broke the silence. "Madame! Kennedi!!" Aaron skidded around the corner and leaned in the doorway. He looked flustered, his thinning white hair poorly concealing the redness from his sprint up the flight of stairs and down the hallway. "Miss Kennedi, you have a visitor! We tried to stop him, but he pushed past William and is headed this way!"  
  
As they both turned, the sound of a door crashing and echoing down the hallway jarred Kennedi. "Holy shit!" She pushed her mother and Aaron out of a side door.  
  
"Keni! What -"  
  
"No time mother.. GO! Stall him Aaron, please!" She shut the side door as they left, then ran to the entry door into the library. She managed to get the door closed and the key into the lock before she heard the yell.  
  
"KENNEDI JOHNSON DONOVAN!!"  
  
**** 


	30. Le Grand Pursuit

****  
  
Original Sin  
- Part Thirty  
  
Disclaimer: See Part 1  
Rating: PG  
  
--  
  
Keni, dressed in a pair of silvery gray silk pajamas and a billowing red silk robe, started to shake. She cast a glance towards the door that her mother and Aaron had escaped through. She was trapped. The doorknob rattled and the door looked like it was being pushed on.  
  
"Kennedi open the door goddamn it!!" Frank's voice bellowed on the other side of the door.  
  
"No! Frank, go away! You weren't supposed to come after me!!"  
  
Everything silenced for a brief, blessed few seconds. Then all hell broke loose as the double doors flew open behind Frank's forceful kick. The man that stood in the doorway looked pissed off enough to kill - and he had his eyes on Kennedi.  
  
She scurried back behind a table bearing a silver tea service. "Now, Frank... calm down."  
  
Frank's answer was to kick to petite table over and keep on going towards her.  
  
Kennedi put a stout English oak table between them. Her back was towards the corner closest to the door that Aaron and her mother had gone out of. That didn't deter Frank. He jumped up onto the low coffee table and glared down at Kennedi.  
  
"YOU are going to tell me why you picked up, packed up and ran from me 6 years ago and then again a year ago! You've led me by the nose with shadows, lies and non-truths for far too long!"  
  
"You self righteous son of a bitch!" She scrambled for the door. "You think it's all about you! Just for once try and see it from my side! OH!!" She reached for the door, but was stopped by Frank's grip on her arm.  
  
Behind Frank stood Jake, Alex, Monica and Cody. They had put up with his tirades and endless nagging for the past year about searching for Kennedi and Cisco. When Monica and Cody found out that he had a son, they'd put in some extra overtime to help find him. They all seemed to understand how important it was that Frank find his wife and son. Needless, to say that they didn't feel one whit sorry for Kennedi right now.   
  
"Let go of me!! DADS!!" Keni began shouting and struggling to get away from Frank. Normally she wouldn't have minded dealing with him. But not at this moment. He looked like he had murder in his eyes.  
  
"Oh no Kennedi." her dad said from the doorway. "You're on your own. Your Mother and I told you not to do this."  
  
Keni let loose a soft gasp and tore her arm from Frank's. She was in this alone! Pushing him back into one of the chairs, she whirled around and bolted out of the side door. Down the hallway she ran in bare feet, her robe billowing behind her - and Frank in hot pursuit. Everyone, down to and including Aaron, was following them.  
  
"I don't know where she thinks she's going. Unless she fancies another bout of hypothermia." Aaron muttered to no one in particular.  
  
**** 


	31. Taming The Shrew

****  
  
Original Sin  
- Part Thirty One  
  
Disclaimer: See Part 1  
Rating: PG  
  
--  
  
They all wound upstairs in the hallway just in time to hear a pair of doors slamming and Frank's swearing again.   
  
"Great. She's locked herself into her own room." Richard said. They all stopped to see Frank jiggling the doorknob and pounding on the door.  
  
"And that's bad? He kicked open the last locked door," Cody asked.  
  
"OPEN THIS DOOR DAMN IT!" Frank shouted.  
  
"Sure. Only problem is that particular pair of doors is made of English Oak and the locking mechanism is one of a kind. You couldn't open it with a battering ram. Unless Frank goes in one of the side doors, it's a stalemate." Richard sighed. Why did his daughter have to be so damned mutinous?  
  
"NO!!" came Keni's muffled reply. "Not until you calm down and act like a normal human being!!  
  
"KENNEDI IF I HAVE TO GET AN AXE AND CHOP DOWN THIS DOOR, SO HELP ME GOD I'LL DO IT!!"  
  
The answer was the shattering explosion of something heavy against the door. Ellen cringed back against her husband. "That was my Waterford Vase from Ireland!!"  
  
"Excuse me Ladies and Gentlemen." William pushed through the crowd of people and smiled as he came in front of Frank. Carefully he tapped on the bigger man's shoulder. William was a little man of 5'4" and reed thin. It was comical to see all 6'1" of Frank glaring down at William. But William's smile never faltered as he produced a key and unlocked the door.  
  
Frank pushed the doors wide open to see Kennedi standing in front of a curved wood rocker and a picturesque bay window with a seat cushion. He also could see that she had several more heavy objects in hand and nearby.   
  
Alex and Jake pressed behind him, pushing William out of the way as a solid glass paperweight hurtled over Frank's head and shattered against the hallway door.  
  
"Keep everyone else out" was all Frank said as he closed the doors behind him.  
  
"My pleasure." Alex said and quickly locked the doors.  
  
Keni heard the lock click and stared wide-eyed at Frank. Unless she bolted through the nursery, she was seriously trapped now. He started towards her slowly. "Frank..."  
  
"No excuses Kennedi." He lunged towards her, only to have her dodge out of the way towards another set of doors. Frank landed against a small reading table, shattering it under his weight.  
  
Out in the hallway Ellen was cringing and wincing with each thud and crash from inside the room. "He's destroying the room!!"  
  
"Mrs. Johnson, please." Alex laid a calm hand on Ellen's shoulder. "He wouldn't be if she wasn't trying to get away from him. She is going to stay locked in that room with Frank until-"   
  
They all turned when they heard a scream from the room followed by the sound of a hand against flesh. Over and over again the whacking sound echoed, followed by a shriek or a screech. Interrupting that raucous cacophony was the shrill cries of a baby.  
  
Alex, Jake, Monica and Cody all stared wide eyed at the set of doors just feet from Kennedi's.  
  
Inside the room, Frank's hand froze in mid-air, his eyes fixing on the set of doors directly in front of him where he was perched on the end of the bed with Kennedi prone over his knees.  
  
A baby??  
  
**** 


	32. The Original Sin

****  
  
Original Sin  
- Part Thirty Two  
  
Disclaimer: See Part 1  
Rating: PG  
  
--  
  
Frank stood up, Kennedi tumbling to the floor semi-forgotten about. Kennedi was wincing in pain, rubbing her sore bottom as she tried to find a comfortable sitting position that didn't hurt. It felt like her backside was on fire in each huge handprint he'd left. She knew she was going to have trouble walking in the morning.  
  
Outside, in the hallway, Monica started towards the second set of doors. She was stopped by Richard's hand on her shoulder. "They need to work it out themselves. If everyone will come downstairs into the salon, I'll have Aaron and William bring some coffee and refreshments."  
  
As everyone gave in and let Richard Johnson lead them down to the first floor, Frank slowly reached the doors. His long fingers curled around the twin knobs and twisted. As he pushed the doors open, the cries of the baby lessened considerably. There, in front of him and a safe distance from the fireplace, was a little boy in footed pj's with a thick crop of black hair stretching up on his tiptoes to peek into the crib. The crib jiggled and shook, the softer sobs of a baby coming from it.  
  
As Frank stepped in, the boy turned around and looked up at him wide-eyed. Behind him on the floor sat his mother, rubbing her bum and watching with wide gray eyes. Cisco looked up at the big man. This was the man from the picture Mummy kept by her bed.  
  
Frank's breath caught in his throat as he looked at the boy who had his mother's gray eyes. Carefully, so as not to scare the boy, he knelt down. "Cisco?"  
  
"Yes Sir?" the boy answered. A pealing squawk from the crib drew the boy's attention. "Shhh Wayleigh" he whispered and stretched up to peek into the crib. "Mummy's coming..."  
  
Mummy? Frank looked back at Kennedi. He watched as she swallowed and nodded, then looked down. He had two children.. Slowly he stood up and edged over to the crib. Laying inside was a beautiful baby girl with the same thick head of black hair that her brother had. A pair of chocolate brown eyes peered up at him.  
  
"Her name is Wayleigh." the boy announced proudly. "I'm her big bwother."  
  
"Rayleigh..." Frank whispered.  
  
"You can pick her up. I don't mind. Mummy's wight here, so it's OK." the boy nodded his head and held up the pink rattle towards the man. "What's your name?"  
  
Frank looked at the rattle and took it carefully. As he picked up the bundle of pink and white blankets, he bundled up the baby so she wouldn't get cold. "Frank Donovan."  
  
"Fwank Donovan. My name is Donovan. Donovan Fwancisco Johnson is what Mummy named me."  
  
"Cisco." Keni stood in the doorway. "Go see PaPa. We'll be down shortly."  
  
Cisco scooted past Frank towards his mother. Frank turned to watch, catching Keni's eyes.  
  
"Wait Cisco." She caught hold of his shoulders. "Come here." Keni sat down in the chaise near the fireplace and pulled him into her lap. "Remember me talking about your father?"  
  
"He's working all the time. He puts bad guys in jail, wight?"  
  
"That's right. Cisco, Frank is your father."  
  
**** 


	33. Forgiveness for Sins Never Committed

****  
  
Original Sin  
- Part Thirty Three  
  
Disclaimer: See Part 1  
Rating: PG  
  
--  
  
Frank looked at Kennedi, little Rayleigh in his arms cooing softly. Cisco had left a brief few seconds previously, bounding down the hallways shouting his head off for his 'PaPa'.  
  
"Thank you."  
  
"For what Frank?"  
  
"For telling him about me."  
  
Keni sighed and leaned back in the chaise. "What did you think I would do? I'm not a completely heartless bitch, Frank. He's known about you since the time he could understand what Mum and Dads meant. He missed you quite a bit. Each time it broke my heart to tell him that he'd get to meet you later."  
  
Frank sat down in the matching chaise opposite her, across the fireplace. He looked down to see Rayleigh asleep holding his finger in an iron grip. "She looks like you."  
  
"And Cisco looks like you, except for the gray eyes. Frank Donovan, meet Rayleigh Francesca Donovan."  
  
"She's so tiny." A thought donned on him and he looked up with the question in his eyes.  
  
Keni nodded and sighed. "Yes."  
  
"So... you were pregnant when you crashed out of the hotel window... and leaped onto the speeding train... and took a swan dive into a frozen lake?"  
  
"Apparently so. But I didn't find out until after I arrived here. I turned up late a few weeks or so after Aaron called me and told me about the arrests and how you interrogated him about where I was. A pregnancy test confirmed it. She's three months old, born October 31."  
  
Frank nodded and looked down at his daughter. "Why?"  
  
"Hmm?"  
  
He looked up. "Why? Why did you leave me in the first place? Was it because of my work?"  
  
Keni closed her eyes. "No. It was me. When we married, you were under the assumption that I was merely Kee Jo's fiancée. You never knew that I was actually KeJo, the ringleader of the jewel thieves. One day, while you were gone, I received a letter from Granger. I thought he'd been arrested with everyone else. He knew that you and I were married and he threatened to tell you the truth about who I was. If I didn't do what he wanted, he said he'd kill you. Frank, you have to believe me when I tell you that I did it to keep you safe. I was also scared."  
  
"Of what?"  
  
"That you'd hate me. By the time I got to London, I knew I was a month or so pregnant. If you found out that I'd run, AND was pregnant, I knew you'd hunt me down. But, shortly before Cisco was born, I went back to D.C. to find you. You were gone, reassigned and no one would tell me where. So I went to Colorado where Cisco was born. After that, the letters began again, threatening you and then Cisco. When he was 3 months old, I flew to France to my parents' summer home and gave him to them. They've raised him most of his life. I made them promise that they would teach him about you, and I answered his questions as best I could when they came."  
  
"And the second time last year?"  
  
"I was tired. Tired of running and the threats. I wasn't thinking at all except for writing that letter to you and leaving you Granger's address. I knew you'd remember eventually that my parents lived in London and you'd come after me. I just never knew when."  
  
"The divorce?"  
  
"Was a bluff to push your buttons. I knew if you remained angry at me, you wouldn't have time to romance me or pay that close attention to me."  
  
"So you could steal the jewels."  
  
"Yes. Just after Christmas I received a letter from Granger that said he knew where Cisco was and he knew where you were. In exchange for your safety, he wanted the jewels. If it had just been physical harm he'd threatened, I wouldn't have done it. Frank, he threatened to kill you after telling you who I was. I couldn't let him do that. I bought your safety with those jewels."  
  
Frank nodded and watched Rayleigh as she slept. Quietly Keni stood up and crossed over to where her husband and daughter sat. Carefully she pulled the baby out of her father's arms and turned to put her back to bed. After making sure that she was asleep, Keni turned back to Frank.  
  
"It's over Frank. No more heists, no more running, nothing. If you still want the divorce after everything I've done to you, then I'll agree to whatever terms you come up with." Her voice was quiet, the tone similar to that when she'd told him on the train that she couldn't go with him. She sounded defeated and tired.  
  
Frank looked up at her for a moment. "There are times, woman, I think you're out of your mind." He reached up and grasped her hand to yank her down across his lap. He shifted his grip on her so that her neck lay across his arm and her head tilted back up at him. "I love you. Loved you then, loved you when you acted like a world class idiot and I love you now. There is no way in hell I'm letting you go."   
  
To prove it, he sealed it with a firm and insistent kiss on her lips. Kennedi's free hand came up over his shoulder and pressed against the back of his head as she deepened the kiss. In the firelight, the diamonds in her wedding and engagement rings sparkled as if to say that Mr. and Mrs. Donovan were here to stay for all time.  
  
Outside in the hallway, young Cisco peeped in through the hallway doors. Aaron was right behind him with a smile.  
  
"Well, Master Cisco. Looks like you and I get to move to Chicago with your Mum and Dads." he whispered.  
  
****  
  
- finis 


End file.
